The Red Death
by Wolfgirl1995
Summary: "You've never heard of The Red Death? He's a legend! A mysterious assassin who's face and identity has never been revealed. Some say he's a ghost, since he has unworldly abilities. Only thing known about him is that once he has his sight set on someone, they won't live a week!"
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: A legend, A myth, A killer

"Alright class, today we'll be talking about famous ninja throughout history." The teacher, a young, tan brunette with a scar across his nose, scanned his chocolate brown eyes across the room. "Who would like to go first?" A pale hand immediately shot into the air. "Yes, Sakura?" The young, pink haired girl smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "The Yellow Flash, Iruka-sensei." Iruka smiled. "Konoha's fourth hokage. His nickname derives from his speed. He was killed in the Kyuubi attack, when he sealed the Kyuubi away. His most famous jutsu was the "Body Flicker" which was what gave him his speed."

Iruka smiled. "Excellent work Sakura. Who's next?" The class went on like this until a young blonde boy with whisker-like scars on his cheeks interrupted. "What does this have to do with anything?! It's not like we're learning anything awesome from this?" Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Naruto. If you were paying any attention, which I doubt, you'd know that the people we are talking about shaped how we are today. If the fourth hokage hadn't been there to seal kyuubi, Konoha would be in shambles by now, if our village still existed that is." The blonde sighed, slouching into his chair. "Sasuke, who did you choose?" Sasuke, the academy heartthrob (for whatever reason) sighed, his black eyes glazed over with an untouchable coldness. His dark black hair swayed as he straightened in his chair.

"Hmph. I didn't choose someone from history. I'd like to know about an assassin known as "The Red Death"." The room went quiet. Naruto, confused by the sudden silence, asked. "Who's "The Red Death"?". A couple of students gasped, staring at him in shock. "You don't know who "The Red Death" is? He's a legend! A mysterious assassin who's face and identity has never been revealed. Some say he's a ghost, since he has unworldly abilities. Only thing known about him is that once he has his sight set on someone, they won't live a week! I heard that he followed one person and after a few days, they went mad. He killed them the day after he was thrown into an asylum. Only one person lived long enough to give a description of what he looks like though.

He wears a red traveling cloak with the hood pulled over and a terrifying mask. You can't see his eyes through the black holes and it has three markings. One on each cheek and one on his forehead, all markings a deep crimson color. They say that it comes from the blood of his victims." Iruka sighed as the bell rang. "We'll continue our lesson tomorrow. For now, class dismissed." As everyone left, Iruka stopped the young kyuubi vessel. "I won't be able to take you out for ramen tonight, since there's a faculty meeting soon. Be careful on your way home." Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't worry sensei, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nobody would foolish enough to fight me." And with those words, he left the classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: Bloody River

Under the cover of night, a man ran through the trees, panicking as he tried to escape his fate. Ducking under branches and around trunks, the stench of his fear permeating around him like a thick blanket. As he burst through the brush, he tripped over a gnarled root and tumbled into a nearby river. The shock of cold water caused to flinch and he immediately struggled to reach the surface. The dense liquid kept pushing him down and for a moment, he feared that he might drown. Just as all hope seemed lost, a hand plunged through the surface and yanked him through. Spluttering, he whipped at the water dripping into his eyes as he slowly regained his breath. Before he could regain enough sense to thank the stranger, he felt a cold blade at his throat. His blood froze in his veins. "P-please, spare me. I-I-I don't want to die." The stranger was silent, as though contemplating the man's pleas. A strange, gravelly voice answered, holding a scroll in one hand. "Your death has been ordered. For the murders of eight village women in Yukigakeru, you will die, Akamura-san." The man began to weep bitterly, his pleads growing more and more desperate. "Oh god, I'm going to die. I'm going to die by The Red Death. Oh god, why? Why?"

The Red Death growled, slashing the blade through Akamura's throat. Blood gushed from the wound and the corpse fell back into the river, dyeing the water red. In the figure's right hand, a gold chain rested, the proof of Akamura's demise. The Red Death's left hand was folding into a one-handed ram seal, a bloody gash on their thumb. "Summoning jutsu!" A puff of smoke appeared before them and a demon appeared. He had shaggy black hair that fell into venom green eyes. His skin was a pale stone-grey. "I need you to take this to Yukigakeru for me, Takeshi. Make sure to get the payment as well." The demon familiar bowed, gently taking the necklace from the outstretched hand.

"When are you going to reveal your identity, my mistress?" The Red Death chuckled, her voice still disguised. "I don't know. However long it takes, I guess. Report back to me on how the others are doing once you are finished." Takeshi bowed, disappearing in a puff of smoke once more. She pulled a map from a hidden pocket, searching for something. "Ah, so I'm in the land of fire. Which means that the closest village is…. Konohagakeru." She stiffened, feeling a murderous presence nearby. Placing the map back into her pocket, she pulled a small bracelet out, turning it into a dagger, and disappeared into the trees. She sent her chakra out and found them, hiding in a tree four yards away. She smirked, transporting right behind them, her chakra disguised.

She placed the dagger against the other's throat. "Who are you, and what the hell do you want?" She felt a pinch on her thigh and stabbed them, the figure disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Shadow clone." She murmured, scowling. All that was left was a chakra bomb. Her eyes widened. "Shit!" The bomb went off, splintering a tree as she was forced backwards. A splintered-off chunk of wood gashed her stomach open and she hit her head against a boulder. Groaning softly in pain, she slowly pushed herself up and used the last of her chakra to transport herself away. She landed roughly by a creek, inside Konoha territory, she noticed. She felt a presence nearby and looked, seeing a spikey-haired blonde with blue eyes and curious whisker-like scars on his cheeks. He stared at her in open shock.

Her eyes fluttered and she fell into unconsciousness, praying that she would wake up unharmed.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the reviews on "The Red Death". I was surprised to get so many views on my story in such a short period of time. Makes me blush. ^/^

Anyways, here's another chapter. If anyone is confused, it is a kakashi love story and nobody knows the real gender of my OC. However, they do think that she is actually a he.. All will be revealed in time. Happy reading!

Chapter 3: Guardian angels and Devious demons

Naruto gaped at the now unconscious figure before him. He couldn't believe it, The Red Death really did exist! Curious, he crept towards her and poked her body. "Hey, you still alive?" He leaned his head close to the mask and heard a weak wheezing coming from inside. He glanced downwards and saw a bleeding gash across the assassin's stomach. "ok, so I'm near a bleeding, nearly-dead legend. Crap, why me? Why not… Iruka!" He jumped up and sprinted toward the academy, yelling his sensei's name the entire way.

"Iruka-sensei!" The brunette turned before being tackled by the hyper-active blonde. "Hello Naruto, I just got out of the meeting. What do you-?" Naruto grabbed his teacher, hoisting him back up to his feet and pulling him toward the forest. "Legend…. Forest….. Bleeding…. Come now!" Iruka, confused, allowed the blonde to drag him to where The Red Death lay, bleeding. When Iruka saw the legend, he gaped. "You mean he actually…." He noticed the wound, the blood now slowing to a lazy trickle. Iruka began to check her vitals. "His heartbeat is weak, but we can save him." Hoisting the body into his arms, he sprinted toward the hospital, flying across rooftops and landing just in front of the building.

"We need medical help, this ninja is gravely injured!" The doctors gaped in shock. "Isn't that…?" "Yes, and he's dying." Snapping out of their shock, a nurse wheeled a gurney over and Iruka placed the unconscious figure on and she was wheeled away. Iruka and Naruto were ushered into the waiting room. "Naruto." The blonde in question looked up. "How did you find him?" "Well sensei, I was walking past the forest, heading home for some instant ramen, when I heard a noise come from the forest. I wanted to see what it was, in case they were spies so I could beat 'em up. Instead, I found him." Iruka sighed, nodding. "Well Naruto, you may have just saved his life." Naruto beamed happily.

"Iruka." The sensei looked towards the door at a doctor in a white lab coat. "We have a situation…." Confused, Naruto and Iruka followed the doctor to a room where shouts and screams were erupting from the inside. The doctor opened the door and they saw a demon with shaggy black hair and green eyes with a sword in hand, standing protectively in front of the unconscious woman. The venom pools turned to glare daggers at the trio in the doorway. "Who are you and why is your scent on my summoner?" Iruka sighed, bringing his hand up in a universal 'I surrender' gesture. "We found him unconscious in the forest, bleeding from a stomach wound. I had to carry him here so he could receive medical help."

The demon glared at him before sheathing his sword. "Everyone out, except blondie and the one who brought her here." Without a glance back, everyone left, closing the door behind them. The demon placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly shook her, causing her to stir lightly with a groan. "Takeshi, what the hell man?" The demon chuckled, pointing towards the duo in front of the now closed door. "Those two brought you here for medical help." She weakly brought her head up to look at the two carefully. She motioned them closer. "What are your names?" The teacher pointed at the blonde. "Naruto Uzumaki." He pointed to himself next. "Iruka Umino." She placed her hand on the brunette's forehead and closed her eyes. "Trustworthy, determined, great with kids, overprotective, stubborn…. A good person to have on their side." She gently removed her hand and placed it on Naruto's. "Loud, bubbly, ramen-obsessed, stubborn…. Dreams of becoming Hokage. You've been shunned by others through no fault of your own." She let her hand drop and looked to the demon summon. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up.

As he placed his hand on her wound and began healing her, she looked at them closely. "You two are very trustworthy people, it seems. Therefore, I shall let you see who I am." Takeshi looked at her in shock, then shook his head, chuckling. "I can never predict what it is you will do." She chuckled, pulling her hood back to reveal long, curly blonde hair that fell to her the junction between her shoulders. She reached behind her head to unclasp her mask, and let it fall to her lap. "YOU'RE A GIRL?!" She turned to the blonde, chuckling as she removed a strange device from her throat. She cleared her throat and spoke. "Yes, you just assumed I was male." Iruka took in her features. She was fairly pretty. She had blue-grey eyes that had flecks of green, a strange, but beautiful color. Her skin was a pale crème color that was only interrupted by petal pink lips and a small mole on the right side of her jawline.

Iruka looked her in the eyes, blue on brown. "So what is your name?" She laughed, smiling softly. "My name…. is Moriko Nakamura and this is one of my summons, Takeshi." "Well, Nakamura-San, I'm afraid you will have to talk to our Hokage tomorrow morning." Her smile widened. "But of course, it wouldn't do to be disrespectful to the leader of such an impressive village." She glanced at the blonde. "So Naruto, do you know any good ramen stands nearby?"


	4. a Trip down memory lane

Sorry for the wait everybody, things have been super busy with school and getting sick and whatnot, and since Microsoft doesn't work on my computer for some reason. Also, I was reminded by a close friend that I forgot to add this: I own nothing but Moriko. The Naruto manga, anime, characters, etc. belong to the brilliant mind that created them. Now that that's out of the way, here's chapter four!

Chapter four: A stroll through memory lane.

Moriko sat on the rooftop of her new apartment, gazing at the moon and the soft, lustrous light it shone on the village. Sometimes, she wished she could be as bright as the moon, as graceful and beautiful as the delicate, shimmering light it shone. She adjusted her mask, tightening it to ensure it didn't fall off. She wasn't ready to take it off. She was sure that she could trust the teacher and the bright bubbly blonde boy, but the village's hokage made her nervous. Obviously, she would never admit it that to anyone but herself, but it was the truth.

He was an intelligent man, but he had a look in his eyes that made her feel as though he could see right through her, into her very soul. The second his eyes landed on her, she felt like a little girl about to get scolded. The feeling unnerved her, but she managed to pull herself together and pass whatever test he was doing. He had even offered her a place to live. She was shocked, but accepted his offer. She was tired of doing freelance work and moving from village to village. Moriko was worried about staying in one place too long, but she reminded herself that it could never be as bad as what she suffered in Iwagakeru, her own birthplace. A shred of a memory nagged at the corner of her mind. Her eyes glazed over with unshed tears as she remembered the one person she had ever cared for.

She reached into one of the hidden pockets in her jacket and pulled out something. If one looked closer at the object in her hand, they would see a clay ballerina figurine. "Dei …" She murmured, allowing herself to shed but a single tear. "I miss you, nii-san." Her fingertips lightly caressed the detailed features of the clay doll as she remembered her companion, and the day she met the one person, the one man, she had ever trusted.

_Ten years earlier_

_A large crowd huddled in the village center, surrounding a small child who wept, lying on her side with her arms covering her head. "Why don't you just die, you freak? You shouldn't have been born to begin with!" The child clenched her teeth, attempting to muffle each cry of pain as blow after blow rained down on her frail body. Her vision began to tunnel. Was this how it all was going to end? At least she wouldn't have to suffer this injustice anymore. Satisfied, the villagers dispersed, each going into their respective home or business while laughing merrily at the misery they had caused. It began to rain and the forgotten child whimpered, unable to move from where she lay. The cold rain began to mercilessly drench her shivering form. Tears burned in her eyes and she pitifully attempted to push her bruised and battered body from the cold concrete. When she managed to push herself to her hands and knees, something soft and warm was dropped onto her, covering her broken body from the cold rain. Looking up, her bleary vision began to clear and she saw a blonde haired boy, with bright blue eyes._

_He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her to her feet. He was a few years older than her, maybe eleven or twelve years old. He brushed the greasy, wet hair from her face and smiled. "So you're the murderer everyone's been complainin' about. You don't seem that dangerous to me, yeah." She shivered, pulling what she now realized was a cloak closer to her. He smiled and knelt down, looking her in the eyes. "My name is Deidara, what's yours, un?" The child sniffled, attempting a small smile of her own. "M-my name's Moriko." He stood back up and held his hand out to her. "Well Moriko, would you like to be friends, yeah?" _

She gently placed the doll back into the hidden pocket and stood, jumping onto the balcony and into her apartment. Closing the door behind her, she drew the blinds closed and sighed. She hadn't shown so much emotion in some time. She would have to fix that. Now that she was part of a village, she couldn't be as anti-social as she was used to. She removed her mask and voice scrambler and placed them on a bedside table. Moriko pulled the blood-covered and significantly damaged jacket from her body and tossed it into a corner. She stretched, popping her back and sighed. She didn't feel like showering, so she kicked her shoes off and crawled into bed.

She wasn't worried about tomorrow, the hokage respected her decision to keep her identity hidden, and wanting to wear the mask and voice scrambler. She wasn't entirely comfortable to reveal herself yet. If this village was the home she wanted, the home she so desperately craved, then eventually, she would toss mask and machine and face the world with a smile on her face. Until then, she would stay in her protective shell. But for now, she had to see just how prepared they were, for a girl like her. And with those thoughts, she fell into slumber.


	5. Chaos in the classroom

Hey people, well my friends are annoyed with me. They wanted me to do fanfictions where I put myself in vampire diaries, Naruto, anima+, teen wolf, etc. I know I said I would take requests, but the only thing I can imagine there being if I was ever in something like that, is chaos. Anyway, if you guys think I should do a fanfic where I'm in it as well, comment and tell me which you think I should do. Finally, you won't have any new chapters for a while since I'm on spring break and I have surgery to get my wisdom teeth removed. Fun. Thanks for reading guys and I'll try to get another chapter up as soon as possible!

Chapter five: Chaos in class

It was six in the morning when Moriko awoke to a thunderous pounding on her apartment door. With a loud groan of annoyance she rolled out of bed and stood. Her hair stuck out at strange angles, almost defying gravity, and her tight grey tank top rode up to reveal her pale stomach. She dragged herself to the door and looked out of the peephole. It was only Naruto. She opened the door, grabbing him by his jacket before yanking him inside and slamming the door.

She spun on her heel and stared him down with an empty expression. "What do you want, Naruto?" The blonde-haired youth glanced down at his feet, shifting from foot to foot before looking up with a determined look. "Iruka-sensei is teaching today. We're learning about famous ninja. So… will you come to class with me, please?" Naruto stared up at her, his blue eyes sparkling with hope. "No." He pouted, wrapping his arms around her thin waist, practically begging at this point. "Oh come on, it'll be awesome! You're practically a legend, and I want to wipe that superiorist smirk off Sasuke's face when he sees you walk through that door with me. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE?!"

Moriko sighed, lightly pinching the bridge of her nose to ward off the impending headache she was sure she would have. "I've only been in Konoha for three weeks, Naruto. To be honest, I've only stepped out of the apartment a handful of times." He sniffled, sending her a teary eyed look. Moriko sighed once more, her resolve weakening. "If I say yes, will you let go?" The blonde nodded, grinning, and she sighed. "Fine. Give me a few minutes to get ready." "ALL RIGHT!" She gently pushed him off and walked to her bedroom. The eighteen year old sighed, grabbing the damaged jacket from the floor. "Misaki." A red-haired pride demon popped into the room, grinning. Her black eyes sparkled mischievously as she grinned at her mistress. "Yes, mistress?" "How quickly could you fix this jacket for me?" The demoness gently grabbed it from the outstretched hand to inspect the cloth. "Fifteen minutes, tops." "Alright, do you mind?" She grinned. "On it mistress!" The demoness hopped onto the bed and pulled her sewing kit out, beginning her work.

Moriko sighed and grabbed a pair of fitted black pants from her closet, as well as a dark green tank top. She walked into the bathroom and after tossing the clothes onto the sink, turned on her shower. She stripped and stepped under the spray of the hot water, immediately scrubbing her hair with shampoo. She rinsed the froth from her hair and dumped the conditioner on next. She grimaced. Conditioner just felt greasy and gross. She quickly rinsed it out and after scrubbing the layer of dirt and grime from her body, shaved her underarms. Sighing, she turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a nearby towel and drying her soaked body.

She pulled her clothes on and scrubbed her hair with the damp towel, leaving the bathroom and heading to her room. Misaki grinned. "Just in time, I finished your cloak." "Thanks Misaki, that's all I needed. You can head back now." The demoness bowed before disappearing. Moriko pulled the repaired cloth over her head and continued to towel her hair dry. She tossed the towel on the bed and did a few hand signs. "Air style, whirlwind no jutsu!" She pulled back some of her chakra and concentrated to finish drying her hair. After a few minutes, she stopped supplying the chakra and tore a brush through the mess.

She sat on the side of her bed and attached the voice modulator to her neck before putting her mask in place. Honestly, she didn't know how the idiots hadn't realized her true gender yet. It wasn't like she went to painstaking lengths to hide it. All one would have to do is look at her chest. She grabbed her shoes and pulled them on, leaving to meet Naruto in the living room. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Naruto! What were you thinking?!" Iruka seethed. The second Moriko had stepped into the classroom, his students erupted in panic. Sakura was clinging to Sasuke, screaming at him to do something. Choji nearly choked to death on a potato chip. Ino was clinging to sasuke as well, scowling at sakura. It was chaos! Moriko chuckled. "Still think this was a good idea?" All of a sudden, a happy bark echoed in the room and something launched itself at her chest. She quickly caught it and upon closer inspection, began to laugh. "Well hey there little guy. What's your name?" The dog barked, his tongue lolling out. "Akamaru. Well, Akamaru, where's your companion at?" He yipped happily, leaping from her arms into kiba's. The class went silent.

"Kiba, huh. Well Kiba-san, you've got yourself a great companion there." Silence. She turned to Iruka. "Are they normally this quiet?" He shook his head. "No, it's usually a hassle to get them to sit still long enough for attendance." She smiled her grin unseen beneath her mask. "So… why am I here again, Naruto?" The blonde grinned sheepishly, his right hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we're learning about famous ninja and Sasuke brought up your name. I figured that it would be kinda cool if you came in and, I don't know, told us some stuff about missions you took?" She chuckled, affectionately ruffling Naruto's hair. Even if the little runt got on her nerves sometimes, you couldn't help but become fond of him.

She tuned to face Iruka, who chuckled sheepishly as well. "So, Iruka-san, do you think that the class would benefit from a Q&A with me?" The brunette smiled softly. "Actually, I think it could be very beneficial, if you don't mind of course." She shrugged. "As long as the questions aren't too personal or invasive, I don't mind. What do you want to know?"

**Hey guys, in the next chapter, I'm doing the Q&A that my OC does with the class. If anyone has any questions you think the class should ask her, such as her interests, hobbies, missions, etc. Send me a comment and it might just end up in the story. **


	6. Diving into an assassin's past

Hey guys, Microsoft is finally working on my computer again. Anyways, I'd like to thank AliceBeilschmidt for the question ideas she submitted and I hope your ankle is feeling better!

Chapter Six: Diving into an assassin's past

Iruka turned to address the class. "Alright, whoever has a question, raise your hand and when chosen, tell us your name." Sakura's hand immediately shot into the air. "Alright Pinky, what's your question?" She smiled brightly. "My Name is Sakura Haruno. I was wondering if it was true that you can summon demons." Moriko nodded. "It's true, however, the do enjoy popping up from time to time, so don't be surprised if you see any of them while I'm here." Another hand shot up in the air. "Alright, swirly cheeks." "My name is Chouji Akimichi, what's your favorite food?" Moriko gave a bright laugh. "Well, that's a rather difficult question, since I absolutely love food. I would have to say, either ramen or dango." Hands started popping up all over. "Alright… Kiba, was it? What's your question?" The dog-lover grinned. "My name is Kiba Inuzuka. What is your favorite animal?" She grinned. "Why, dogs of course! Canines are great companions to have. Actually, I was saved by a pack of wolves when I was a kid."

Kiba's eyes widened. "What happened?" Moriko laughed. "It's a long story kiddo, maybe I'll tell you about it later." Kiba nodded, beaming happily. "Alright, blondie." The blonde girl smirked, tossing her ponytail off her shoulder. "I'm Ino yamanaka. What was your education?" "Oh, I didn't go to academy, if that's what you're asking. I've taught myself and I've been taught a few by my summons." Ino opened her mouth, about to continue, but Moriko cut her off. "Alright, um… the girl with the violet eyes, in the back. I can tell you want to ask me something." The girl fidgeted, pressing her two pointer fingers together as she blushed. "Ano…. M-my name is Hinata H-hyuuga. Um.. I was wondering i-if…" Her blush darkened and she ducked her head. Moriko smiled, speaking gently. "Go ahead. You can ask me, I don't bite." "Um…. Do you feel bad… t-taking a life?" Moriko reclined against Iruka's desk.

"Well…. In this line of work, you can't really be squeamish. However, since I used to work in freelance, roaming from village to village, I got the ability to choose which missions to take. However, you have to be pretty well-known to do that. The work I usually choose deals with tracking down and eliminating serious threats, such as spies with information that could kill entire villages, serial murderers, child prostitution rings, you get the idea. So when you do work like that, you're doing something that does a lot of good. Protecting those who can't protect themselves like we can. So I can't really say that I feel bad about taking a life that has taken the lives of several other people."

Hinata nodded, a small smile on her face. Maybe she could use this as inspiration. To be honest, hinata would have rather become a medic nin, but certain… circumstances wouldn't allow that. Perhaps, she could do something that would do good, something like what the legend before her did. Moriko smiled gently. The girl was almost painfully shy, but she had a gut feeling that this girl, with the right motivation, could become rather powerful. "Wait, what do you mean "used to"?" She turned to face the male who had spoken. "And you are?" "Neji Hyuuga." "So your related to miss bright eyes. I can see the family resemblance. Your hokage has offered me residence here in konoha, and I accepted. To be honest, moving from place to place has grown tiresome and I wanted to find something… stable, so to speak."

"Does that mean you're not going to wear your mask anymore?" The kids began to murmur excitedly. "What's under the mask?" Moriko lifted her hand, effectively silencing them. "Not as of right now. Maybe after enough time has passed, I will. But for now, no." She could see several of the kids practically deflate, pouting. She chuckled, they were so expressive. It was refreshing, since she was usually stuck with others who were practically robots. "Alright, how about mister glower over there. What's your question?" "My name… is Sasuke Uchiha. Why did you decide to become a killer?" Iruka's head snapped to stare disapprovingly at the loner. "Sasuke, I don't think that's an appropriate question-." "It's all right Iruka-san. I don't mind." The teacher went silent, sending one last look of disapproval before turning his attention back to her. "Well… I became an assassin for several reasons…"

"_Freak!" "Monster!" "Abomination!" Words were hissed at her as she followed meekly behind the woman in black. Here she was back at the orphanage, at least she was inside this time. The last time she was returned, she was chained to a doghouse out back for three weeks. A few days ago, the elderly couple that adopted her had brought her back, unwilling to care for her much longer. Usually it was several months at a time before she was re-adopted. She was led through a large entryway and brought to the familiar room with the angry faced lady and a strange man. He had slitted yellow-ish eyes that was surrounded by purple paint and was wearing a jounin outfit. However, his headband was missing. _

"_This man wants to adopt you, Moriko. Be grateful that someone wants a monster like you, and has payed a pretty penny as well." The child looked up at the bag of coin with empty eyes, then looked at the strange man, who knelt down to look her in the eye. "My name is Orochimaru. I don't have a wife, or a family and I'm quite lonely being in a big house by myself. I would like some company, would you like to come with me, daughter?" She looked up to see a kind smile and kind eyes, and gave a slight smile of her own, nodding shyly. _

_Three days later, she realized just how much of a monster he truly was. He had this man tie her to beds and inject her with strange chemicals and shove tubes down her throat and nose. When he realized that they had been found out, he left her in a cage and set the place on fire. She had barely escaped with her life. _

She shook her head and continued her explanation. "Anyway, to answer your question Sasuke, I guess the main reason I became an assassin was because I've seen people suffer injustice and be taken advantage of, with nobody there to help them. I became an assassin to protect the ones who cannot protect themselves and of course…. I have personal reasons, but I won't go into that." She turned to look at Iruka. "I think that's enough questions for now, sensei. I'm sure you have other important things to teach them." He nodded, smiling. "Thank you for speaking to the class, I hope they weren't too invasive." She waved his concern off. "It's fine, sensei. They're curious. It's perfectly natural." Iruka's smile widened. "Well, would you like to observe today's class?"

Moriko lay on the academy rooftop, staring up at the clouds as the children play below. Naruto was swarmed by other students, who were curious about the assassin he had brought with him. The whisker-scarred blonde was eating up the attention, careful not to reveal her gender or her identity. She heard the door open and glanced over to see a boy slouched over, his hands in his pocket. He had spiky brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail and grey eyes. Everything about his screamed lazy, but she had a feeling there was more to him than that. He stopped at her right and lay down next to her, staring up at the sky. "It's nice, isn't it?" He looked over at her, as though evaluating the pros and cons of communicating with her.

"The weather?" She shook her head. "Staring at the clouds. There's no thinking needed, no emotion, nothing. You can just clear your mind and just… relax." He seemed surprised by her statement but gave a slow grin and looked back up at the sky. "Yeah. It's nice to see someone who can appreciate the calm and the quiet." "Hey guys!" Moriko sighed and looked over to see Naruto standing in the doorway. "Class is about to begin." She pushed herself up and dusted herself off. "We'll be there in a minute Naruto, go on ahead." The blonde nodded and left. "Hey." She turned around to look at him. "Why is it that you hide the fact you're a girl?" She laughed. "Y'know that you're the only one that has caught onto that? It's not like I go through painstaking lengths to hide it. It's not my gender I'm hiding, it's my identity." He nodded, understanding completely. "Shall we go?" He smiled. "Yeah. My names Shikamaru Nara, by the way." "Nice to meet ya. You can just call me 'Red' for now."


	7. Mission: Information retrieval part one

Hey guys, a good friend of mine requested me to do a story where I put myself in Avatar, the last airbender. Since he is just that awesome, I have accepted. Reid, I hope you have enjoyed reading this so far, and that you enjoy your request.

_Chapter Seven: First mission: Information Retrieval, part one_

Moriko stood before the Hokage, her stance casual but somewhat tense. She had already counted at least six hidden ninja in the room and their attentiveness on her was a bit unnerving. It was to be expected, since she was in the same room as their leader. "Hokage-sama." The elderly man looked up from his paperwork. "I was informed that you wanted to see me." He reached under his desk and pulled out a scroll, sliding it across the desk's surface toward her. "I have an information retrieval mission I need you to take part of." Moriko opened it, skimming through the contents. "So basically, myself and a cell of three others are crashing a party and I'm supposed to seduce him?" "Pretty much." "So, I need to 'distract' him while the others search the house. I'm just telling you now; I'm not sleeping with him." Sarutobi chuckled. "That won't be necessary. You just need to keep him distracted so the team won't have many complications."

She nodded, tucking the scroll away. "Hokage-san. I know that I'm going to miss Naruto's graduation, so would you mind giving this to him for me." She handed him a small package. The hokage nodded, accepting it from her. "I've already briefed the others. I told them you would be under a henge, to protect your identity of course, so they shouldn't ask questions. Pack enough for six days, as well as a nice dress, this is a high-class party, after all." "Yes, Hokage-san." She bowed politely, leaving the office and transported to her apartment. Moriko walked into her bedroom, grabbing her backpack from a corner; stuffing it with clothes, weapons, poisons (just in case), etc. She sighed, she had absolutely no idea what to look for in a dress. Then, she perked up remembering something.

_** Flashback**_

_**Moriko sighed, flipping through the pages of a book. She had absolutely no idea what to do for the next two hours. Naruto was in class, preparing for his graduation final, Iruka was teaching Naruto and helping him and the others prepare for the final, Sarutobi was busy. They were really the only people she knew here. She adjusted the crimson colored forehead protector attached to her belt, ensuring it wouldn't fall off. "Hey." Moriko turned to see a woman with long black hair and red eyes. The woman glanced at her headband. "So it's true, I thought Gai was just telling stories when he told me you joined Konoha. My name is Kurenai." The woman held out her hand. Moriko grasped it, shaking her hand firmly. "You can call me 'Red' for now." Kurenai smiled, releasing her hand. "Well, Red, if you need anything, let me know. You're a fellow shinobi now." The woman smiled, giving her a last wave before leaving.**_

Moriko sighed. If she remembered correctly, Kurenai usually hung out in a nearby dango shop. Hopping out of her window, she leapt over a few nearby buildings and entered the shop. Scanning the room, which had gone eerily silent, she spotted the dark haired woman at the bar. "Kurenai-san." The woman turned, smiling brightly. "Hey, Red. Did you need something?" She chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah. Uh.. eheh. Well, Hokage- san is sending me on a mission and I need some….. clothing advise." Kurenai laughed. "I'm part of the three-man cell on your mission, Red. Let me pay real quick, and we can go."

"So, what kind of dress are you looking at?" Moriko sighed, adjusting her mask to allow her to bite her thumb. "That a habit?" "What?" "Biting your thumb." "Yeah, it helps me think." She was silent for a few minutes. "So?" "I have absolutely no idea, Kurenai-san." Kurenai sighed. Well, henge into your disguise so we know what size to look for." Moriko stepped into a nearby changing room, peeling off her cloak, mask, and voice modulator. She changed her facial structure to a slightly sharper look, her hair to a light crimson waist-length ponytail, and her eyes a light baby-blue. She kept her figure, since it wasn't like anyone knew what she really looked like. She walked back out. Kurenai glanced over, smiling in approval. "Well, a forest green would be a nice color…"


	8. Chapter 8 information retrieval part two

Hey everyone. If you read the first chapter of 'Distant Memory' You realize that I loosely based Moriko off of my appearance. Her personality, however, isn't like my own. Moriko is a more serious, cautious character while I am mostly the opposite. Also, Microsoft word isn't working on my laptop anymore, so after graduation, it might be awhile before I can update. Anyway, enjoy chapter eight of 'The Red Death' and thank you for the reviews!

'_**thoughts'**_

"Talking."

Chapter Eight: Mission; information retrieval, part two

"Red to swan, do you copy?" Static went rampant before Kurenai's voice came on. "Swan to Red, loud and clear." Moriko, now disguised as a redhead bombshell, pulled on the long, elegant black dress, mindful of the thigh-high slit. She hated wearing dresses, they were so…. Annoying. At least the mission wouldn't last much longer. She pulled her hair into a stylish messy bun with a braid around it, shoving several senbon needles into it to not only hold the style in place, but to serve as weapons should she need it. "Red to Swan, almost finished." After she shoved the eighteenth senbon into her hair, she sat on her bed and pulled on strappy stiletto heels. Even her shoes were booby-trapped with weapons; a blade hidden in the front of her shoe and in the bottom of the heel.

Moriko pulled on a leather garter, shoving a set of obsidian daggers under it before standing, smoothing out her dress. After checking to make sure that her weapons would not be noticeable, she checked her reflection. She looked… decent, she supposed. She certainly didn't look like herself, so it was fine. "Red to swan, heading out now." She opened the door of her hotel room and stepped out, locking it behind her. "Miss Kyoshi, you look absolutely stunning tonight." Moriko turned to face her contact, smiling. "Thank you Mr. Satoshi, you look wonderful as well." He smiled, offering her his arm. "Ready to seduce the target?" She chuckled, wrapping her arm around his. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Moriko smiled indulgently, laughing and acting coy as several men flirted with her. She suppressed her irritation, _**'I've got to keep it together. I can't give myself away.'**_ "I think I can take it from here, gentleman." She looked up, smirking slightly. Men were oh, so predictable. _**'Gai, looks like you owe me twenty bucks.'**_ The other men, sheepish, nodded in her direction before slinking off. "I'm so sorry, ma'am, I couldn't help but notice you over here and had to help. A beautiful young woman like yourself shouldn't be subject to such… harassment." Moriko forced herself to giggle, acting coy. "Thank you, good sir. I came here with my brother, but it seems he has disappeared." She lightly fluttered her eyelashes, looking at him with bedroom eyes. _**'You gotta do what you gotta do." **_He smiled, his eye color darkening to a deep green. "Well, perhaps you would like to accompany me?" She forced out another giggle.

"Perhaps I can get the name of my rescuer, first?" He smiled, lifting her hand to press it lightly against his lips. "My name, is Katsoya Higarashi." She forced a look of surprise on his face. "So You're the one who's throwing the ball. I was wondering when I would meet you." He smirked. "Perhaps, I could get the name of this beautiful princess before me." She blushed. _**'Oh. He's good… But I'm better.' **_"My name, is Kiyoshi Niwa. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." "Believe me my princess… The pleasure, is all mine." She faked a swoon, mentally dancing in joy. Soon, it would all be over. She heard a slight buzz in her ear. "Swan to Red, We're almost finished here. We only have three more rooms to go. Bite your lip if you can hear me." _**'Haha, oldest trick in the book, Kurenai.'**_ She lightly bit her lip, suppressing a chuckle as Katsoya's eyes darkened another shade. _**'Too easy.' **_ Just a little longer to go. "Miss Kiyoshi, are you fond of literature?" She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Why, yes. I'm very fond of reading, Niwa-san. Why do you ask?" _**'Ha! As if I'm really that stupid. I know what you're up to, ya perv.'**_ "Well, would you mind if I showed you the master library?" "Why, not at all. Please, lead the way." She noticed 'Satoshi' watching them leave, smirking at her discomfort. "Swan to Red, we're in the library! I repeat, we are in the library! We found something, but we need you to stall him!" "Oh!" She swayed, the back of her left hand resting against a table. She nearly collapsed, but was caught in time by her companion. "Miss Kiyoshi, are you quite alright?" She glanced up at him through her lashes. "I-I'm alright. I just got a tad light-headed, is all." He lifted her into his arms, depositing her lightly onto a nearby armchair. "Luckily, we're by the kitchens. I'll get you a glass of water, wait one moment." He hurried into a nearby room and she huffed, muttering so Kurenai could hear. "Please hurry. I don't know how long I can detain him." "Almost finished." Kurenai said, static still heard through the earpiece. "And might I say, Red, You're quite the actress." She chuckled, murmuring as Katsoya came out of the room. "Oh, you have no idea, Swan."

He handed her the glass, which she gratefully accepted, sipping on the cool liquid. "Swan to Red, all finished. Coon is heading in your direction." She glanced at the end of the hall, seeing her companion. "There you are, sister. Father sent someone to call us home." "Satoshi. However did you find us?" He pointed back behind him. "Someone said you were heading to the library. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we need to leave." Katsoya nodded, still looking at her with those green eyes. "Perhaps another time, miss Kiyoshi?" She smiled. "Definatly."

The two transported themselves back into the hotel, finally relaxing for the first time since the mission started. "I'll get started on the report. Nice job, Red." Kurenai complimented, her crimson eyes twinkling mischievously. "I almost believed that you were a high-class woman." _**'She knows.'**_ Gai, the bushy-browed wonder smiled, giving his signature thumbs up and twinkling smile. "You made a very youthful woman, Red! The power of youth is bright inside you!" And with that statement, Gai and the others went to the other room, leaving her alone with Kurenai. "I won't ask why you're hiding your identity, since it's obvious, but do you plan to always live behind the mask?"

Moriko shook her head. "Not really. I just want to make sure that this is a place I can trust, and that there are people here who I can rely on." Kurenai sighed. "I may seem biased, since I grew up in Konoha, but you can trust us Red." Moriko sighed. "Kurenai, you know who Orochimaru is, correct?" The dark haired woman nodded. "Yeah, he grew up in this village. Hokage-san was horrified to know what his student had been doing. He was exiled a long time ago." "Well, I thought I could trust him." Kurenai's eyes widened, her jaw going slack. "He adopted me. He seemed like a nice man, someone who wanted a child he could love. In his eyes, I was nothing but another experiment. But I thought that I'd finally have someone who I could call a father, and he betrayed me. Just like everyone else." Kurenai watched her, her eyes glimmering with sympathy. "But surely there must have been someone you trusted." The woman implored. "Another child, an adult, someone." "There was…. I haven't seen him since the day I left that damned village. I heard he was exiled, but I haven't seen him." Kurenai gently placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder, trying to convey some kind of comfort. Moriko stiffened under the unfamiliar gesture, but relaxed after realizing that there was no threat.

After a few moments, kurenai removed her hand and turned to walk to the bedroom, where the others were. "Red?" Moriko looked to where the woman stood. "I just hope that one day, you can call Konoha your home." And with those kind words, she walked into the room, closing the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9 a woman scorned

Chapter nine: A woman scorned

"_He did what?!" _A flock of birds flew from the trees surrounding the main building, fearful of the furious roar that echoed through the village. Kurenai glanced up at the building in boredom. "Looks like Red found out." She glanced back at Gai, who's eyes were wide in shock, silent for once. "_**Great. She broke Gai." **_The woman looked back at the building. "I'd hate to be Mizuki right now…"

The blonde legend slammed her hands against the desk, snarling in righteous fury. "Iruka." The brunette glanced over, concerned for the girl. "Let me see your back." He opened his mouth to argue, but upon seeing the look on her face, complied with her wish. He gently placed his vest and shirt on the Hokage's desk. The young girl walked over to him, placing a cool hand on the bloody bandage encasing his torso. She pulled a jar from the bag clipped around her right thigh and handed it to him. "Have a clone smear this on your wound when it starts to scab over, it'll help heal it quicker." She turned to Sarutobi. "What did he do to Naruto?"

After Sarutobi relayed the story, she snarled once again. "Mizuki, you mean the creepy, white-haired little toad that teaches here?" upon the conformation, she growled. "Where is the slimy little git? I'll gut him like a fucking pig!?" Iruka, now re-clothed, placed his hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch, too enraged to react to the touch. "Moriko, calm down. We're alright. It's just a-." "I don't care if you think it's just a flesh-wound. He could have killed you. You and Naruto are the only people here I can trust, the only people here that I care about. You two are the only people who ever treated me like I was even remotely human, Iruka. So, when somebody tells me that some jackass attacked my special people, Of course I'm gonna be pissed."

She panted heavily, ignoring the obvious stares of shock from everyone in the room. After she had caught her breath, she looked at Sarutobi. "I'm asking you Hokage-san. Where is he?" Before he could answer, the door burst open with two jounin escorting the offender in. "You!" Before they could react, Moriko had snatched him out of the jounins' grip, slamming him into the wall, blade at his neck. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't gut you now, Mizuki." She spat, hatred and bloodlust coating every word. The man's face grew deadly pale, his lips trembling. Even this psychopath wasn't stupid enough to not fear the deadly assassin.

The room was still, waiting to see just what the woman would do. Frustrated by his silence, she hit him with the handle of her blade. "Answer me!" Iruka, not wanting her to do something regrettable, wrapped an arm around her, gently tugging her from the pinned man, who cowered against the wall. "That's enough. I know you're angry, but this isn't the right thing to do. Please, I'm asking you not to kill him." They watched as she fidgeted, fingering the cool blade. Someone gasped as she spun, hurling the knife at Mizuki's body. It landed inches from his neck. "If I ever see you again, Mizuki, I _will kill you."_ The jounin lifted the terrified man from the wall, carrying him from the room. The door closed, leaving the four alone once more.

"Moriko…" She glanced up at the teacher, her expression hidden behind her mask. "I understand that you're upset, I am too. I just don't want you to do something that you might regret." She was silent for a moment, before replying. "My life is full of regrets Iruka, what's one more?" Before he could respond, she walked from the room, saying. "If you and Naruto don't feel like going to Ichiraku or anything, feel free to stop by and I'll cook."

The next day, Moriko walked into Iruka's classroom. "You wanted to see me, Iruka?" The brunette smiled, gesturing for her to come towards him. "Hokage-san has requested that you are put in a genin cell, to socialize and help train the village's future ninja." "Alright, where-." "I was here first, Ino-pig!" "You wish, forehead! I was first!" The two girls squabbled as they attempted to beat each other to where Naruto and Sasuke sat. Sakura was there first. "Hey Naruto." The blonde stared up at the pinkette in adoration. "Y-yes Sakura?" "You're in my seat!" Moriko's eyes narrowed. _**"I don't like her, she seems like a complete bitch. What could Naruto possibly see in her?" **_Her eyes trailed to where Hinata Hyuuga sat, shooting shy glances at the boisterous blonde. "_**She would be a much better choice, at least she harbors feelings towards him." **_She glanced back over at the squabble, and her eyes widened. Naruto was in a lip-lock with the Uchiha brat!

She chuckled as Naruto flew away from the emo, gagging and spitting in disgust. Sakura glared at him, an aura of hate surrounding her. "Hey Naruto….. You're dead." Within moments, Moriko was standing in between the two, an evil idea forming in her mind. "Really, Haruno? If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that Naruto was pushed into the uchiha, it was an accident. However, from the blush on Uchiha's face, he didn't seem too opposed." The class went silent before Moriko started chuckling. "This is why you should pay attention to your surroundings, you miss out on important information, and won't know what is real, and what's a joke." Sakura's face burned red, and sasuke glared at her before huffing and turning away. _**"Ah, the joys of mindgames." **_She turned to look at Iruka. "You should probably start naming off the cells, while they're all quiet…"

Moriko lay on Iruka's desk, the classroom completely abandoned other than the pinkette, the blonde, and the pinkett'es dark-haired obsession. She sighed, the sensei of this squad was so late, everyone else had already left. She heard a creak and glanced over, seeing Naruto place a chalkboard eraser on top of the door. "Naruto, what are you doing?" The pinkette whined, glaring at him in disapproval. "Teaching him a lesson about being late. We're the only ones here, sakura." "Oh, as if a jounin would fall for-." The door slid open and the eraser fell on top of the sensei's head. Naruto started laughing and Sakura started sucking up.

Moriko lazily glanced over, examining the man. Spiky white hair, black eye, he wore a mask over his mouth and nose and his headband over his other eye. She felt herself blush. _**"Why am I blushing? I'm not embarrassed." **_"How do I say this… my first impression of you… I hate you." Moriko chuckled, bemused by his blatancy. He wasn't the type to sugarcoat things, that much was obvious. He glanced over at her, his eye widening slightly before his expression went neutral. "Meet me on the academy roof." He disappeared in a puff of smoke and she stretched before hopping off the table. This was going to be interesting, that much was certain.


	10. Chapter 10 the man of a thousand jutsus

Hey guys, well after may thirty first, it may be awhile before you see another update. Microsoft isn't working on my laptop anymore, so we're getting a new word thing for my laptop. On the other hand, I'll try to get as many chapters up as possible before then. Enjoy chapter ten!

Chapter ten: Introducing the man of a thousand Jutsus

Moriko sat in between Naruto and Sasuke, watching the silver-haired man in front of her. He seemed interesting enough, especially to have caught her interest. _**"I wonder why I'm getting so flustered around him. Maybe I'm getting sick or something…" **_"All right, why don't you guys introduce yourselves, so we can all get to know each other." Moriko's gaze focused on the jounin, her curiosity growing. "Well, why don't you go first, sensei." Moriko blinked in surprise. _**"Looks like pinky finally had a good idea. Maybe she isn't just an obsessed fangirl." "**_Alright, I am Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream... I have few hobbies."

She chuckled softly, bemused by the others disappointment. "Alright, you're up first pinky." Sakura beamed. "My name is Sakura Haruno, my likes are…. I mean the person I like is…" She burst into a fit of giggles; her face flushed a light pink. _**"Or… Maybe she is." **_"My dislikes are Naruto, and as for my dream…" She squealed, her face flushed even darker. Moriko's eye twitched slightly, her annoyance growing. _**"I can't help but feel bad for the Uchiha brat right now…" **_"Alright, blondie." Naruto grinned. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like Ramen, especially Ichiraku ramen that Iruka buys me, Red, and Red's pets. I hate the six minutes it takes to make instant ramen, and Sasuke. As for my dream…. I want to become Hokage, so everyone will finally treat me with respect." Moriko gazed at the blonde sadly.

She wanted nothing more than to hug him, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She disliked nothing more than being touched. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have many likes and far too many dislikes. I don't have a dream, more of a goal… to kill a certain person and restore the uchiha clan." _**"Jeez, couldn't get any more dramatic there, brat?" **_She felt Kakashi turn his gaze onto her. "Guess it's my turn, huh? You can call me Red, for now. My likes are my summoning companions, hanging out with Iruka and naruto, dogs, food, reading, anything sweet, and training. My dislikes are fangirls, bullies, rude people, tomatoes, etc. My dream…. I guess to eventually have a family and grow old with someone, oh and to tear orochimaru limb from limb, but that's a story for another day."

The other four stared at her, baffled at her random admittance of her desire to kill the traitorous bastard. "O….k. Anyway, meet back at the third training ground…. Oh, and I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you." Moriko chuckled, bemused at kakashi's overdramatic tone. _**"Looks like the Uchiha brat isn't the only one with a penchant for drama." **_ After the silver-haired jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke, Moriko stood up and turned to the others, asking. "So… anyone in the mood for Ichiraku?"


	11. Chapter 11 the bell test part one

Hey guys, sorry it's been awhile since I last updated. My internet has been a bit screwy lately, and I had to get a new Linksys system. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Eleven: The bell test part one.

Despite Kakashi's warning to not eat that morning, Moriko had stopped by a dango shop and was enjoying the last few bites of the sweet treat. With a happy sigh, she tossed the trash into a nearby bin and sighed. She had a feeling that the genin she had been grouped with wouldn't eat, for fear of regurgitating their food, so she packed a few breakfast bars into the bag strapped to her thigh. _**"Guess they don't realize that he's just playing mind games with 'em. Oh well, they'll learn eventually." **_With a morbid little chuckle, she walked to the bridge where the other three stood, waiting impatiently for their sensei to appear before them.

Sensing that it would be a while before he would come, she leaned against the rail that separated her from the water below. She always had loved the water, but the forest was her home. Moriko heard the symphony of her companions' stomachs and sighed. Reaching into the bag strapped to her thigh, she tossed them each a breakfast bar. "But sensei said that we shouldn't eat." Sakura whined. Moriko rolled her eyes. "Sakura, if you don't eat, your body doesn't have fuel. If your body doesn't have fuel, you're significantly weaker, which will make you more vulnerable to attacks, which will get you killed. Now, quit complainin' and eat the damn bar already." "Well, what about you? You're not eating one." Moriko sighed in annoyance.

"Well, I had dango earlier, so I'm not hungry. Eat the breakfast bar, sakura. You're going to need all the help you can get." Naruto had already wolfed down the bar, glad to have at least something in his stomach. Sasuke ate it without complaining, annoyed by Sakura's whining. Moriko leaned against the rail once more, staring up at the bright blue sky happily. She barely noticed Sakura fawning over sasuke, while Naruto glared, as she watched the clouds roll across the sky. _**"I wonder when Hatake will get here…"**_

Three hours rolled by, with no sign of the jounin. Sakura and Naruto were complaining, while Sasuke leaned against a nearby tree. Moriko tightened the mask around her face, ensuring it wouldn't fall off. "Hey, Red." Moriko looked up at the pinkette, wondering what she wanted now. "Yes, Sakura?" "Ummm…. Why do you wear that mask and conceal your voice? Don't you trust us?" Moriko stood, stretching to relieve her aching muscles. "Well, Sakura. I do that to hide my identity. I'm in the bingo book, after all. If anyone knew my real identity, I'd have other assassins and ninja after me all the time. Eventually, I'll stop wearin' 'em, but for now, bear with me on this."

She smirked slightly, glancing towards the end of the bridge. "Nice of you to join us, Hatake-san." The three genin glanced over to see kakashi squatting on top of the architecture above the entrance. "You're late!" Sakura and Naruto shouted, scowling. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life." "WHAT?!" Moriko chuckled softly, amused by the genins' reaction to their sensei's excuse. She walked over to where he was crouching, leaping onto the structure before crouching next to him. "Shouldn't we be training now?"

The group was now in the third training field, listening to their sensei talk. "What do you mean, another test? We already graduated from the academy." "That was to weed out those who didn't even have a chance to become a ninja, this is to weed out the weak." He pulled something from the pouch strapped to his thigh, showing it to the genin. "A…. bells?" Two bells rested on the end of a string, which he attached to his hip. "But… there's four of us." "Ah, Red won't be participating in this. We already know that Red is capable, but we haven't decided on you three. Also, whoever doesn't get a bell, goes back to the academy." Moriko blinked, momentarily confused, then smirked, realizing what the jounin was up to. _**"This isn't a test of strength, it's a test of teamwork. The bells are to set them against one another. Very clever, Hatake." **_"Alright Hatake, if you change your mind, I'll be hanging out on the branch over there once you guys start."

He nodded. "Also, attack as if you wish to kill me, or else you won't succeed on getting a bell. Ready? Set." Naruto yelled, leaping towards Hatake, Kunai in hand. Moriko saw Hatake disappear, then reappear behind the blonde. Reacting quickly, she launched herself to the pair, pushing Naruto behind her as she countered Kakashi's attack. She gave a low growl, scowling at the sensei. "Naruto…. He didn't say go." The blonde blushed lightly, embarrassed at having to be saved, in front of Sakura no less. Sensing that the silver-haired jounin wasn't a threat she replaced the kunai into her thigh-pouch and jumped into a nearby tree, her legs dangling over the edge of a branch. "Alright, let's get started… go!" Sakura and sasuke disappeared, heading into nearby hiding places. Naruto… was still in plain sight, shouting for Hatake to fight him face to face. Moriko sighed. _**"I guess stealth isn't his strong point…" **_

Then, something occurred to her. _**"Wait a minute…. If he didn't need to test me, why did I have to come?" **_She silently pondered to herself, both confused and flustered. _**"And I still can't figure out why he gets under my skin like this. God, never have I been more thankful for this mask. It's weird, since I've never been a blusher." **_ "Naruto, look out!" Moriko's head snapped up quick enough to see Naruto go flying into a nearby ravine, Kakashi still crouched with his hands in the tiger sign. Putting two and two together, she snickered, attempting to keep herself from falling from her tree. She didn't notice Kakashi glance over, watching her for a few moments before standing.

_**"Oh yes, this was absolutely going to be interesting."**_


	12. Chapter 12 the bell test part two

Chapter twelve: The bell test part two

Three hours had gone by, and none of the genin had gotten even remotely close to getting a bell. Sasuke, the I'm-an-avenger-and-don't-need-anyone loser, had decided that the others would have just held him back. Sakura decided to completely ignore Naruto and chase after her beloved emo. Naruto, was stuck upside down in a trap to a tree. Moriko watched the blonde wiggle around helplessly before pulling a kunai out of her pouch, hurling it at the rope imprisoning the kyuubi container. Sensing the familiar presence behind her, she turned her head lazily to face him. "Shouldn't you be out there with the genin, sensei?" Kakashi chuckled, crouched on the branch behind her.

"I've got a clone covering it." She heard a high pitched scream in the distance, crows flying into the sky above. "Sakura?" He nodded. "Illusion of sasuke?" "Yup." She chuckled, stretching to pop her aching back. "Nice." "Hey, Red." She glanced back over at him. "Wondering about my mask?" He barely contained his look of surprise, before nodding. "I thought it would be obvious, since you wear a mask as well." "When will you take yours off?" She laughed outright, amused by his curiosity. "I'll tell you what, Hatake. You show me what's under your mask, and I'll show you what's under mine."

She glanced over to see Naruto attempting to sneak over to the where the bentos were. She felt kakashi disappear from behind her, scaring the crap out of Naruto, before tying the boy up. A few moments later, their time limit was up, and the other two appeared from the forest's cover. Moriko watched as Kakashi lectured to them about teamwork, and how their teammates could be used against them. To her surprise, he walked to the memorial stone, placing his hand on it. "This monument has the names of the ninja, who died in combat." Moriko could see pain and sorrow in his eyes, and her heart ached.

_**"So he's lost people who are important to him as well…. Poor Kakashi…" **_She gently placed her hand against her chest, feeling the familiar ache of loss reverberating through her. She glanced back down quick enough to see and hear him tell the genin not to feed the poor blonde, as punishment. He leapt out of sight, doing a full circle before appearing behind her once more. The two watched as Sakura leaned up to feed Naruto a bit of ramen. She glanced up at him, smirking devilishly. "Gonna go scare 'em?" "Yup." Her smirk widened as he appeared before them, shouting angrily. "You!" The three cowered and she burst out laughing as he grinned. "Pass." The three stared at their sensei in confusion, before it set in. Sakura and Naruto cheered while Sasuke smirked, too cool to smile.

She hopped down from the tree, walking over to join the group. "Y'know sensei, there's something I just haven't been able to figure out. If you didn't have me come out here to be tested, why did I have to come out here?" He shrugged before telling them that he was going to treat them to ramen. The three started walking, completely forgetting about the Naruto, who started shouting as Moriko untied him. She chuckled, helping him up. "Let's go catch up to 'em." Naruto grinned before sprinting after the others, shouting happily.

Moriko leapt after them, quickly catching up to the group ahead. She stopped to a lazy walk next to the silver-haired man, her face burning red under her mask. _**"Damn it face! Stop blushing!" **_She heard a soft chuckle beside her and glanced over to see Kakashi peering over at her. _**"Does he… know?" **_Her face burned brighter, her mortification growing. _**"Is this some sort of genjutsu? Is he doing this?" **_She sighed softly, willing her face to go back to its usual pale color. After a few moments, Moriko felt the red-hot heat fade and sighed in relief. She walked into the stand with the others, sitting in between Kakashi and Sasuke, who was sitting by sakura, with Naruto on the end.

She felt Sasuke and Sakura's gazes land on her, and she felt a bead of sweat fall from her forehead. _**"Why do they want to know what I look like so bad? My face isn't very interesting." **_She peered over at Kakashi, who was looking at the menu with interest. Her gaze turned back to see the stall vender and his daughter staring at her in awe. _**"Guess I'm more infamous than I thought." **_She gave a small nervous chuckle at all the attention and looked at her menu thoughtfully. _**"Maybe I'll have the seafood ramen this time." **_Kakashi leaned over, pointing to something on the menu.

"Have you tried the Cajun chicken ramen?" She shook her head, peering thoughtfully at the different types listed. "No, is it good?" "Not my favorite, but it's good." After a moment of thought, she placed the menu back on the stand. "I think I'll try the seafood ramen, this time." When they were served, she felt the others' gazes intensify. She sighed, glancing up. "Is there a reason, why you guys are staring?" Sakura blushed, immediately dropping her gaze to her bowl of miso ramen. Sasuke continued staring, unabashed by her comment.

She reached behind her to take off the mask, deciding that a distraction was in order. She sneakily summoned Ichira, a succubus with long blonde hair and blood red eyes, to cause such distraction. The demoness wrapped her arms around sasuke, giggling and cooing, which caused Sakura to shout and scream at her competition. Silently thanking her summon, she placed her mask down on the counter. Kakashi had pulled down his mask as well, knowing there was no risk of many people seeing his face. She silently studied his features. _**"Damn, he's hot!" **_Noticing him staring at her, his jaw slack in shock, she chuckled; placing her pointer finger over her lips in the universal 'hush' gesture. Moriko gave him a soft smile before she glanced down at her bowl and quickly began eating.

_**"I should have at least twenty minutes before the distraction wears off. I'll have to buy Ichira some dango as thanks later." **_She swallowed the last few bites, wiping her mouth off with a nearby napkin before placing her mask back on. Ichira smiled before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, much to Sakura's fury. Kakashi had finished his meal just as quickly, his mask back in place as well. His expression was carefully neutral, but Moriko could practically see the gears grinding in his mind. She grinned, as the only two who hadn't seen her face sulked. _**"No wonder why kakashi has a fan group." **_Her grin widened, and she turned to him, teasing. "Something on your mind, sensei?"


	13. Kakashi and Moriko, on a date?

Hey everyone! Yes, kakashi now knows what Moriko looks like. So what do you think? Does it seem like kakashi has a thing for our heroine? I got a message saying that Moriko should get kidnapped by akatsuki later in the story, and that one of the members should harbor feelings for her. So, comment or message me on who you think should have a crush on her.

Chapter thirteen: Kakashi and Moriko, on a date?!

It had been over three months since that day in Ichiraku, and neither Kakashi nor moriko had brought it back up. However, things had been rather odd since then. Sakura and Sasuke both had kept trying to see under her mask, both pulling sneaky and underhanded plans to do so. All had backfired horrendously on them, much to Moriko's bemusement. To her surprise, Kakashi had helped foil these plans in hilarious ways. Never again would moriko see a decorative chopstick without chuckling in amusement. Iruka had become busy, teaching the next generation of genin. Naruto had introduced her to his fanclub, which had screamed and yelled in awe over seeing her.

Konohamaru, who she had learned was the Hokage's grandson, begged her to teach him some of her jutsu, much to Naruto's horror. Smiling, she told him that she was planning on teaching Naruto a few, and that he would teach him in turn. Naruto grinned at her happily, before showing off the gleaming obsidian daggers she had given him as a graduation gift. He had absolutely adored the decoration on the handle; the familiar red and black swirl that adorned his jacket. He had grown awe-struck when she told him she had crafted them herself.

They had become one of his most prized possessions, along with a picture of the team. Kakashi and Moriko stood in the back, with the three genin in front of them. They had tried persuading her to take her mask off for the picture, but she refused, pacifying them by saying that she would take another with them, when she chose to take the mask off. That had settled them down, but they were far from happy. Moriko's copy of the picture rested in a cherry wood frame, on her nightstand, next to her own obsidian daggers, which had a decoration of a howling wolf on the handle.

As Moriko crawled out of bed to prepare for the day, she couldn't help but smile fondly at the picture, the tips of her fingers caressing the frame. It had become one of her prized possessions as well. On the other side of her bed, on another nightstand, was an old, worn picture of her as a child, bruised but smiling with Deidara-nii-san, holding a stuffed wolf close to her chest. The wolf, in question, rested on her bed, it's once soft fur matted with stuffing spilling out of its side. The light grey color had darkened with grime and dirt and age. She lifted it from the bed, lightly fingering an ear that hung valiantly by a thread.

_**"I'll have to fix Okami after the mission. I think a wash and a sew are in order." **_Giving the stuffed toy one last hug, she placed it back on the bed and began her daily ritual. After a quick wash in the shower, she scrubbed her body dry with a nearby towel, yanking on her black pants, grey tank top, and blood-red cloak. Checking the clock, she realized she had a couple hours before she needed to go meet the team. After her hair had dried and her mask and modulator were in place, she left her apartment and hurried out into the street. The streets weren't as busy, with the children at the academy and most of the citizens still in their homes. Feeling a bit peckish, she decided to head to the nearby dango shop to grab breakfast. As she turned the corner she ran into someone, causing them both to topple over, with her landing on top of the other.

Dazed and confused, she glanced up, only to grow red with mortification. "K-kakashi!" Sure enough, it was the silver-haired wonder himself, who was grinning up at her in amusement. Realizing that she was still laying on top of him, she immediately leapt up, helping him to his feet. "S-sorry about that, I didn't expect you to be around the corner." Silently cursing herself for stuttering, she almost missed the warm chuckle of amusement in his voice. "There's no harm, where are you heading so early?" "Getting some dango for breakfast. I didn't feel like having ramen or onigiri."

Her face flushed darker, as she remembered the sculpted features under that mask. _**"Damn you face! Quit blushing!" **_Thanking god for what seemed the millionth time for her mask, she forced the blush to slowly disappear from her face. "Oh, mind if I join you?" Her face flushed up in another blush. _**"Alright, fighting the blush is obviously a lost cause…" **_"s-sure, I could use the company." The two walked silently beside one another, enjoying each other's company. The silence didn't feel awkward, nor did they feel the need to force conversation. She glanced over to see him reading a familiar orange book. "Are you reading Icha Icha paradise? God, I can't remember the last time I read that series." Kakashi gaped at her in shock, not used to anyone else claiming to be a fan. "You've read Icha Icha?"  
"A few times, Jiraiya's gotten better at writing, that's for sure." Kakashi stared at her, as if thinking of something.

Putting the book back in his pouch, he grasped both of her hands in his. "Marry me?" Her face burnt a bright red, a swirl of emotion churning in her gut. She forced a nervous laugh out of her, desperately attempting to ignore the pleasant heat his hands emitted into hers. "S-stop joking around kakashi." She unwillingly pulled her hands from his, already missing the warmth of his hands. Moriko grabbed his bicep, noting the muscle tone of his arm beneath his shirt. She pulled him after her, blushing furiously beneath her mask. "L-let's just get lunch, yeah?" Neither of them had noticed Kurenai and Gai following them, both grinning happily.

"Looks like Kakashi has a love interest…. His youthful vigor as he chases after his beloved. It's so beautiful, Kurenai!" Manly tears streamed down his face as he watched his rival get dragged away by the mortified legend. Kurenai chuckled, her gaze soft as she watched them. "Their youth is admirable!" Kurenai sighed. "They're getting away, Gai…. Wanna watch them on their date?" Gai nodded, manly tears still streaming down his cheeks. The two hopped after them, easily spotting them in the crowd.

"Kakashi, I am capable of buying my own breakfast, there's really no need." Kakashi chuckled, handing the cashier money. "Too bad, I just paid." Moriko sighed, having to chuckle at his stubbornness. "Fine, but I'm buying next time." The two walked to an empty table, sitting across one another. She was startled as he leaned over, his hand brushing against her mask. He gently unclipped it, pulling his hand and her mask away to reveal her flushed, horrified face. "Relax, I put a genjutsu up, no one can see our faces." He pulled his own mask down, smiling at her. Her blush darkened, which he immediately noticed. "You're not getting sick, are you?" She quickly shook her head, her blush growing darker. _**"Dammit face! Quit blushing!" **_He chuckled, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"You're blushing. You're not embarrassed, are you?" _**"He's onto me!" **_Across the street, the three genin stared at the pair, their jaws slack in shock. "K-kakashi and Red are on a date?!" The shop went quiet, glancing at the pair. The genjutsu held strong, making it seem as though they were just chatting. Sakura sighed. "It's a genjutsu." Putting her hands in a ram seal, she sent her chakra to attack the genjutsu; a puff of smoke appearing. Caught off guard, Moriko grabbed her mask, barely putting her mask up to shield her face in time. Kakashi's mask was already up. The smoke cleared, revealing two obviously embarrassed ninja.

"Sensei, you're on a date with Red? He's a boy!" Moriko's eye twitched. She slowly stood up, grabbing the now empty boxes of dango and tossing them in the trash. Kakashi walked up next to her, and they walked out of the store. "Oh, by the way Sakura… I'm a girl." The pinkette gaped as the two disappeared from the shop. Sasuke's left eye twitched slightly. His rolemodel, was a woman? How was that possible? Something occurred to him, and he smirked. _**"If she's a woman, she'd make a good candidate to help me restore the Uchiha clan…" **_Sakura sighed. "Damn, now I want to know what she looks like even more." _**"Maybe she's a red-head, or a pinkette, like me! Well, as long as she doesn't go after my Sasuke-kun, I doesn't matter." **_

__Kakashi and Moriko landed on top of the Academy, smiling at one another. "So how long do you think it'll take before the whole village knows I'm a woman?" Kakashi tilted his head, thinking. "Maybe a few hours?" "Sounds about right." She chuckled, her mask still being held up by her hand. He shot her a crooked grin, causing her heart to go into overdrive. She glanced down at the village, a soft smile on her face. The smile slipped as a thought crossed her mind. "Wait, don't we have a mission at noon?" "Yeah, why?" "It's twelve thirty."

He sighed, not wanting to leave just yet. "Want to walk there together?" She gave him a shy smile, nodding. As the two walked side by side, Moriko's mask now secured to her face, there was a comfortable silence between them. There was no need for conversation, no need for words. All they had was the silence and the other's company, and for now, that was enough.


	14. Chapter 14: Missions, what a drag

Chapter fourteen: Missions, what a drag

Moriko chuckled as she watched the genin attempt to catch Tiger, the elusive cat of Lady Shijimi. Did they have no previous experience with animals? After she finished laughing, she knelt down in front of a hollow tree the cat had run into. "Tiger, here kitty kitty. There's a good kitty, c'mon." The cat meowed, slowly emerging before snuggling up in her arms, purring in content. Smiling, she stroked the cat's back, cooing at the happy cat. The genin had finally caught up, staring at her. She tilted her head to the side, confused at their confusion. "What? I like animals."

Kakashi appeared from the forest's thick cover, causing Tiger to hiss unhappily at the surprise. Moriko turned her attention back to the agitated cat, cooing softly to calm him. Once the cat was calm, Kakashi walked over, examining the now content feline. "This is our quarry. Good! Then "Mission: Find the missing pet" is accomplished! Let's head back then."

Moriko watched sympathetically as Tiger was cuddled unmercifully by his owner, who was squealing and cooing happily at the miserable cat. _**"With an owner like that, I would run away too." **_As the woman left to pay the one of the desk workers, Sarutobi held up a list, naming off the seemingly endless list of D-ranked missions available. Moriko peeked over at Naruto, who was scowling unhappily at their Hokage. Moriko softly sighed, counting down the seconds until the blonde blew up. _**"In 3….2….1…." **_"No way! No thank you-! Boooorrrriiinng! Give us something different to do. Something important! Something amazing!" Moriko sighed, staring at the tactless blonde.

Iruka was sent off into a rant about how ninja were divided based on their skill level, and how they were still genin and whatnot. Naruto, now ignoring his previous sensei and Sarutobi, began muttering about which Ramen he wanted for lunch. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Naruto scowled, unhappy at his current situation. "But it's not fair! There's more to me than the troublemaking screw-up the old man thinks I am!" She glanced back over at Sarutobi, who was chuckling. Naruto pouted, his arms folded over his chest. "Very well. Since you put it that way, I will permit you to attempt a c grade task-usually reserved for shinobi of the journeyman level… the protection of a certain individual."

Naruto cheered happily, grinning happily at the Hokage. "Who is it? Some great lord? The daimyo?! A princess!?" Sarutobi chuckled, bidding Naruto to calm himself as he asked for the man to come in. Moriko sighed as an apparent drunkard walked in, immediately insulting her teammates. Naruto laughed. "Who'd you mean? Which midget? Which imbeci-?!" Seeing that he was the shortest in the group, he roared. "I'll kill him!" Kakashi grabbed the blonde, scolding him. "Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect." She chuckled, walking over to the pair before lightly bonking the blonde on the head.

The man introduced himself as Tazuna, a well-known bridge builder who needed escorted to his next place of work. After they were briefed, they were sent away to pack for the mission. Luckily, Moriko had packed beforehand, in case she was sent on a sudden overnight mission. Hopping into her apartment window, she grabbed her bag from her living room closet and left right after. She hopped from building to building before landing in front of the village's gates. Tazuna was already there, staring at her. "You seem familiar, have we met before?" She chuckled. "If we had, you'd either be dead or crazy." Tazuna gulped, taking a few steps away from her. Soon after, the others had finally caught up. As the gates were opened, Naruto cheered, immediately running out to exam the woods outside the village. _**"That's right, he's never been outside of the village before. This is all new to him." **_She turned to face kakashi, laughing before she ran out after the blonde.

She barely heard the soft chuckle he gave as she immediately grabbed the boy by his jacket and pulled him back toward the group. "Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this fool?" Kakashi sighed. "There's no call for concern. I'm an elite ninja and I'll be along too." Tazuna nodded toward me. "And who's that?" "That's the Red Death, a new member of the village. Red will also be joining us." Tazuna relaxed, much to moriko's suspicion. _**"Something's up. Why would he seem so relieved that an assassin would be in the group?" **_"You are dead!" She glanced up in time to see Kakashi restrain Naruto. "I **SAID **no, you little dunce."

Moriko laughed, amused by Naruto's shenanigans. As the group began their long journey, she felt a presence drenched with the stench of bloodlust and greed. She glanced at Kakashi, who seemed to make nothing of it. _**"So my suspicions are right, there's more to this mission than Tazuna has let on. Why would there be assassins after him?" **_The group walked right past a puddle, and she glanced at Kakashi, this time making eye contact. He gave her a barely noticeable nod, and she knew that he knew about the assassins as well. She felt them closing in behind, and couldn't help but cry out as chains wrapped around kakashi, tearing him apart.

"Kakashi!" She felt a familiar swirl of emotion in her gut. Hatred, fury, bloodlust. She slowly turned to see them appear behind Naruto. She glared at them, her emotions showing clear through her mask. She sprinted past the others, grabbing the blonde and pulled him to safety. She pushed him towards the genin. "These two are mine!" _**"One way or another, I'm going to make them regret coming after us, for killing Kakashi!" **_A thick silver aura slowly steamed from her body, and she slowly looked up at them. "Water style, blood rain!" Water slowly drained from nearby plants, floating around the two men. "You're dead." The water turned to spikes, piercing the mens' flesh as they ran.

She pulled the bracelet from her pocket, turning it into a sickle and chain. She managed to catch one of the men, pulling the chain tight around his frame. Sasuke, seeing the other man running at Sakura, ran to stand in front of her, his arms spread. Moriko snarled hatefully, her pupils turning to mere slits and her canine teeth sharpened to a point. All she could feel at this point were hate and bloodlust. The chain around the enemy tightened, crushing his ribs. He cried out in pain, blood beginning to spill from his lips. With a final, sharp pull, the chain slashed through the man's body, tearing him in half.

She was about to go after the other man, but to her surprise, Kakashi had appeared, catching him around his throat. Sasuke pouted (not that he'd ever admit it) but turned his gaze to the blood-soaked woman. She looked from the bloody corpse to Tazuna, who stared at her fearfully. "Tazuna… You've got some explaining to do." The man swallowed thickly, terror permeating from his body. She turned her gaze from the trembling man to Kakashi, staring him down. He returned the gaze. "So do you, Hatake." _**"I can't believe he would do that! I thought the little git had died." **_She glanced at the corpse at her feet, and the unconscious body Kakashi was holding. _**"Well, at least he's alive. I can't believe I lost control like that. Maybe the chemical that Orochimaru injected me with is acting up."**_One could only hope. Tazuna sighed, explaining that his village was poor, and they could only afford a c-rank. Naruto, still shaken from the experience, slowly walked to stand next to Moriko. She placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair lightly. That had been a close call. Sakura piped up about how they should go back to the village, since the mission was too much for them to handle.

Of course, Naruto protested, and after some deliberation, and manipulation on Tazuna's part, they all agreed to continue on. A small group of Tazuna's friends ferried them across a small lake and they continued their journey on foot. Naruto, not wanting Sasuke to show him up, threw his kunai around, shouting about how he saw someone, or something. Sakura bashed him over the head with her fist, yelling at him to knock it off. Kakashi, curious, walked into a bush, to find a white rabbit shaking, with the kunai inches above his head.

As Naruto ran over to cuddle the terrified bunny, Moriko's eyes narrowed. _**"Why does this rabbit still have his winter coat? Surely it would have darkened by now." **_From the look of it, Kakashi was having the same thought. "Everyone, take cover!" Moriko ducked quick enough for a rather large sword to fly over her head, landing in the side of a tree. A familiar man leapt from a nearby tree, onto the handle of the huge sword. Moriko's eyes widened. "Zabuza, is that you?"


	15. Zabuza: A friend, an enemy, a what?

Wait, Moriko knows Zabuza? How did that happen? Find out here In chapter fifteen!

Chapter fifteen: Zabuza, a friend, an enemy, a what?

Moriko stared up at the bandaged man, shocked. "Zabuza, is that you?" The man stared down at her coldly. "The Red Death, fancy killing you here." She rolled her eyes. "Guess you don't remember me, do you? After all…" She pulled her hood down, removing her mask and modulator. The murderer's eyes widened. "It's been years since we last met." "Moriko…" He whispered, his body going numb from shock. Sasuke, sakura, and Tazuna's eyes widened. _That was the Red Death?! _"Your hair is much longer than it used to be, Moriko." She chuckled. "I grew it out. Nice to see you too. Where's Haku?"

A figure dressed in shinobi hunter apparel leapt from a nearby tree. The blonde smiled. "Long time no see, Haku. How've you been?" The figure took off his mask, revealing a rather feminine face. Naruto stared, drooling slightly. Moriko chuckled. "Haku's a boy, Naru." The genin's faces were priceless, their eyes wide and their mouths dropped open in shock. "So what do you want with us?" "We were sent after Tazuna. Please steo aside, moriko. I'd rather not have to kill you." The blonde smirked, getting into a fighting stance. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Zabu." Kakashi glance over at her, curious. "Zabu?"

Her gaze was focused on the other man. "Yeah, Zabu and I were pretty close friends after I escaped Orochimaru, but that's a story for another day. Zabu and I were an assassin team, nicknamed the "Crimson demon twins." We aren't really twins, but our tactics were eerily similar. I had to leave the team, since I didn't want to work for Gato. You're still working for him, aren't you?" The man nodded. "You've grown, Moriko." The man's eyes ran up her frame to meet hers. "But enough chitchat. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to kill you, Moriko." Kakashi glared, kunai in hand, running at Zabuza full speed. "I won't let that happen!" With his free hand, he pulled his headband up to reveal he had sharingan.

Moriko's mouth dropped open, as did Sasuke's. Except, Moriko's shocked expression was paired with a pretty pink blush. The two men fought against one another, until Kakashi was tricked by a shadow clone and trapped inside a prison of water. "Looks like you're done for, Hatake. After I kill off the brats and Tazuna, you're next." Moriko snarled, causing everyone's attention to go to her. "Zabuza! LET. HIM. Go!" Her pupils slitted once again, and her canine's grew sharper. The strange silver aura surrounded her, burning her jacket into nothing but ash. Her nails grew sharper and longer, turning into claws. The bandaged man smirked.

"So he means a lot to you. Tell me, why is that?" "None of your fucking business, that's why!" "Moriko!" The girl turned her gaze to Kakashi. "Take everyone and get out of here, He can't go too far or he'll lose control of the jutsu." "Like hell I'm leaving you here, kakashi." She dropped her hands to her side, lightning sparking in her palms. Without another word, she sprinted at him, easily taking care of the clone. She stopped a few feet from him, sending a whip of lightning at the bandaged man. The water lifted in front of him, the lightning crackling inside before diffusing. She smirked, allowing her to sink into the water, disappearing. She already knew that the genin were using the time to formulate a plan. She watched as Zabuza created another clone. She swam silently underneath the globe of water. "Water style, body transfer no jutsu!" The prison shimmered slightly as her body was sucked into the globe, pushing kakashi out to freedom instead. The globe solidified once more and kakashi broke through the surface, taking the familiar fighting stance. Zabuza's eyes widened, glancing down at the prison to see Moriko smirking, flipping him the bird.

His eyes narrowed. Years after their last encounter, and she could still get under his skin, into his head, through his jutsu. "Moriko." Her smirk faltered slightly, before turning into a slight frown. "If I hadn't worked for Gato, do you t think that perhaps…. We would have been more than just partners?" Kakashi scowled, and naruto began choking on air, coughing violently. Moriko shrugged. "Who knows, besides, there's no point in what ifs now. Can't change the past Zabu, just the future." He was silent, before lifting the globe of water into the air, throwing her into kakashi's arms.

"Haku." The boy turned to face his companion. "We're leaving. Moriko, don't think that this means we won't be back. We'll have to continue this battle a little later." The two disappeared in a swirl of pure white mist, leaving the group that they had attacked just moments earlier. The group was silent for a moment, before Moriko glanced up at the man holding her. "Kakashi.." "Hmm?" She blushed, avoiding his gaze. "You can put me down now." The jounin froze, not wanting to let her go just yet, but did as she asked. The woman sighed, running her fingers through her long blonde hair before turning to face the gaping group.

She gave a small chuckle. "Guess now's the time to start explaining myself, huh?"


	16. Chapter 16: Moriko, secrets revealed

So, the group now knows Moriko's identity. Bet you didn't see that coming! Mwahaha! Any-hoo, now Moriko has to explain herself to the genin, tell her life story, and just how she met Zabuza and Haku. Excited? You should be!

Chapter sixteen: Moriko, secrets revealed.

Moriko sighed, picking up the mask and modulator. To the group's surprise, she placed it in her thigh-pouch instead of putting it back on. Sasuke's gaze ran up her frame. She was curvy, but not overly-so, her skin was a porcelain-ivory tone that was complimented by a forest green tank-top and black pants. The tank was over a fish-net t-shirt that was a dark black as well. His gaze went up to her face. She had a slightly rounded face, complimented by glue-green-grey eyes and pale pink lips. On the left side of her chin was a small mole. _**"She looks like she could be related to dead-last." **_She sighed once more, jutting her hip out and placing her right fist on it.

"Guess I have some explaining to do, huh?" Sakura stared up at her, her jaw slack. Once she regained her wits, she glanced at her beloved Uchiha, wilting. _**"Inner! H-he's interested in her! Wait, maybe she could give me tips on how to get Sasuke-kun's interest!" **_She squealed, causing everyone's gaze to turn to her. She blushed. "I-I'm just excited that my idol is a girl." Moriko's gaze narrowed. _**"She wants something from me." **_She sighed, turning to face Kakashi. _**"So, I apparently have a 'crush' on him. So, what am I to do about it?" **_

_ Flashback_

"_Hey, Kurenai." The Black-haired bombshell glanced over, smiling at the masked woman. "Hey, Red. What's up?" The blonde fidgeted, suddenly nervous. "I think I'm ill." Kurenai blinked, confused. "Why? What are your symptoms?" "I get red-faced, I sweat, my stomach flips and twists, and my mouth goes dry, I stutter." Kurenai's gaze narrowed. "Is it around a certain person?" Moriko nodded. "Kakashi. Why, am I under a genjutsu?" Kurenai was silent before she grinned, laughing as she swept the blonde up in a hug. "you're sick alright, You're love sick!" The blonde squirmed, being smothered by the other woman's breasts. "Kurenai… can't…BREATHE!" The woman chuckled, releasing her from her death-grip. "Red, you've got a crush!"_

The blonde shook her head, bringing herself out of her thoughts. "I'm assuming you have questions as well, Kakashi?" The silver-haired man nodded silently, his gaze trained on her. She squirmed slightly, not used to all of the attention. "Well, why don't we sit while… Kakashi?!" She barely caught the jounin, as he fell to his knees. "You shouldn't have used the sharingan, kakashi. You won't be able to move for a while." She pulled him back up to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "Tazuna, which way is your house?"

Moriko sat by Kakashi's side as he slept, her eyes clouded with worry and anxiety. Naruto and the others peered in through the cracked door. "She's worried about him." Naruto stated, his eyes reflecting worry over the other blonde. "She hasn't eaten since he passed out. I hope he wakes up soon, so she'll stop worrying." The pinkette sighed, watching the pair inside. _**"If she wasn't in there, it would've been the perfect opportunity to see what was under his mask." **_Moriko was completely aware that they were watching them, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She glanced sadly down at the unconscious man, brushing a strand of hair that fell into his eye.

"_**It's hard to believe that feelings like this arise from a mere crush. I think… I think I can understand sakura just a little better now." **_A light groan caused her to snap her attention back to Kakashi. His hand twitched and his revealed eye slowly blinked open. He gazed groggily around the room, before his gaze landed on her. She gave a sigh of relief. "Mor..iko. where are we?" _**"Holy shit… this man's 'Sleepy voice' has got to be the sexiest thing ever." **_Barely managing to repress the blush that threatened to invade her face, she answered. "We're at Tazuna's house. You passed out from using the sharingan during your battle with Zabuza."

He noticed the slight blush on her face, but chose not to comment. "Where are Naruto and the others?" "Sitting outside the door, watching us." A squeak of surprise came from the other side, and the door opened to reveal the three sheepish genin. Moriko motioned for them to come in, and they sat around kakashi's bed. Kakashi glanced back up at her. "I believe you were going to do some explaining." Moriko sighed. "What do you want to know?"

Sakura spoke first. "Where were you born?" "Iwagakeru. I stayed there until I was around eight years old, then I was adopted/sold to Orochimaru." Sasuke looked at her, confused. "Orochimaru?" She nodded. "The village wasn't exactly…. Kind to me."

_Flashback_

_The tiny blonde squirmed as she attempted to escape the orphanage's manager's bruising grip on her wrist. "I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again, Chioshi-sama!" The woman gave the child's arm a particularly strong pull, causing her to wail in pain. "Shut up you little brat!" The child sniffled pathetically, not wanting another beating. She was pulled to the entrance, shoved outdoors into the cold rain as the door slammed shut behind her. The villagers turned to look at her, grinning horribly. She whimpered, running in the opposite direction as she was chased by them. She gave a shrill cry of pain as a sharp stone hit her square in the back, its edges slicing into her skin._

_Cruel laughter sounded behind her as she ducked around a corner, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. Her terrified pants grew in intensity as she realized that she was trapped. She trembled as a large hand grabbed her by the roots of her hair, shoving her to the ground. The back of her shirt ripped, revealing a scarred back. She wailed as she was pinned to the mud and rock floor. She felt something warm being poured onto her back and whimpered as she realized what it was. A woman with a torch emerged from the mob, grinning as she dropped it onto the child's back; lighting the oil that another had poured onto her. The child screamed as she in agony as the burned away at her flesh. Crows flew into the air as laughter echoed in the ally, where she was sure she would die._

The group was silent; their eyes were damp with unshed tears. Naruto, was outright crying, hugging her around her thin waist. "A couple months after that, Orochimaru came to the orphanage to 'find a companion'. He bought me from Chiyoshi, and I went with him, believing that maybe I had found someone I could trust. He was just looking for another guinea pig." "So when you got fangs and claws, your eyes turned silver and that silver aura… was that from his experiment?" Moriko nodded. "His experiment was to turn me into something… different. He succeeded."

_Flashback_

_Moriko, now twelve, stared emptily around her. Corpses, completely drained of blood stared up at her, their faces forever frozen in horror. She glanced down at her blood-soaked hands and then looked into a nearby mirror. Blood surrounded her small mouth, smeared on her cheek and forehead as well. She felt uncomfortably full. She heard a dark chuckle, and turned around to see Orochimaru. "I see that the experiment was a success, Kabuto. So, what all did you do to her?" His companion smirked. "I injected a chemical mix of nightshade and bloodroot into her bloodstream. Once the mixture had her nearly-dead, I used chemical AAB625 and injected her. In essence, she is now a sort of… leech. From this point on, anything that angers her will send her into a bloodlust frenzy, causing her to need to feed on the blood of others. However, there could be other… triggers."_

_He chuckled, leering at her blood-covered frame. She glared at him, her eyes flashing silver as red-hot hate ran through her veins. She'd get them back for this… one day._

The group went silent, their eyes shadowed with anger at orochimaru, and with sorrow for the younger moriko. "He set fire to the lab a year after… I barely escaped. A couple of miles west, I think, I ran into a pack of wolves. They… took care of me like I was a part of their pack. To this day, they still won't leave my side. They became my unofficial nin-wolves. I met up with Zabuza and Haku when I turned fifteen. You know the rest." The group was silent, allowing the information to sink in. It was… horrifying what this young woman had gone through. Kakashi took her hand in his, lightly squeezing to convey his sympathy. She gave him a soft smile, returning the light squeeze.

"Enough about me… what are we going to do about Zabuza?" Kakashi glanced over at the genin trio, smiling. "We're going to train!"


	17. Chapter 17: Face off at the bridge

'Ellos my fabulous readers! Well, this is the chapter I'm sure you guys are looking forward to. Kakashi and Zabuza, the fight over our heroine (that she seems blissfully unaware of) ^w^ I wonder what'll happen. –evil grins- well, I guess we'll have to read to find out!

Chapter seventeen: Face off at the bridge.

Moriko glared at Zabuza, when he finally decided to come for them. Sasuke was trapped within Haku's ice mirror technique. Kakashi and Zabuza were having their own glare-match, while Sakura and herself were protecting Tazuna from any sneak-attacks. _**"What is it with these boys and calling 'dibs' on enemies? Geez, from the way Kakashi and Zabuza are glaring, you'd think they were arguing about something." **_She glanced over at the uchiha, worried. _**"I hope that dunderhead knows what he's doing. Haku's ice-mirror technique is difficult, even for me, to defeat…" **_The blonde watched as sakura threw a kunai to sasuke, only to have Haku catch it before sasuke could.

A shuriken appeared from nowhere, nearly slicing Haku's throat open. Lo and behold, Naruto appears out of thin air. "Uzumaki Naruto… at your service!" Moriko sighed, shaking her head softly. _**"Yep. Stealth is definatly not his strong point." **_Chuckling softly, she stared the blonde down with an even gaze as he continued to brag about heroism and whatnot. She saw the expression on Kakashi's face and her chuckles turned to giggles. "Blast!" She quickly turned to see shuriken that had been heading for the loudmouth blonde get stopped in its tracks by Haku's acupuncture needles. "Haku…. What are you doing?" "Zabuza, sir, please let me have this boy. I want to fight him in my own way."

Moriko chuckled. He was defiantly the same Haku she knew and 'mothered'. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto sneak over to where Sasuke was crouching. The Uchiha twitched, disbelief on his face. "Y-you doofus! No stealth… no caution… and you call yourself a ninja?! Now that you've gotten yourself trapped in here with me… Just do what you want. I don't really care." Naruto scowled. "Oh, fine! I went through hell to rescue you, and this is the thanks I get?!" She sighed, turning to kakashi. "Jeez, those two fight like an old married couple. Hey, guys!"

They looked over at her. "Kiss and make up later! You two need to pay attention, alright? Haku's ice mirrors aren't easy to beat, ya know!" Naruto yelped while Sasuke scowled at blonde girl. She watched Haku slip into the mirrors once more, smirking. "Over here." Sasuke, an idea coming to mind, quickly flashed a few hand signs. "Fire style… blaze of glory!" A blaze of fire shot from his mouth and hand at the mirrors. Unfortunately, they had no effect on the mirrors.

Moriko quickly turned her attention to Kakashi and Zabuza. Kakashi quickly blocked the kunai aimed at his sharingan, blood dripping from his hand. "You can sneer all you want about my "Lack of finesse," Zabuza… but it doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of my sharingan. And of me." Zabuza scowled, bragging about how he trained Haku since he was a toddler, and how they'd never be able to defeat him. Moriko sighed. "Zabuza." The man turned to face her. "You know what Gato is really going to do, don't you?" He stared. "He isn't going to pay you guys… He's going to kill the both of you instead. So, why don't we just-." She went silent, a thrill going up her spine. She quickly turned her attention over to the boys. Her eyes widened. "Kyuubi…" An aura of blood red chakra enveloped Naruto, taking a form of its own.

Sasuke was unconscious, needles sticking out of him at nearly every angle. He appeared to be dead, but she knew better. Moriko turned back to face Zabuza, staring him down. "Damn it Zabuza! Are you really going to get the both of you killed for that slimy bastard?!" As if to prove her point, Haku flew across the bridge from Naruto's punch. Moriko flinched, a deep ache in her chest. She nearly started to run where the feminine boy lay, but she managed to calm herself. "Zabuza. This is your last chance to make the right choice here. You KNOW I'm right." Zabuza stared at her before gazing at the scene on the bridge. Haku, bruised and bleeding from the beating he received from the now calm naruto. Sasuke unconscious on the ground, with sakura sobbing at his side. _**"When did she….? Never mind, Tazuna is with her, so there's no problem with her being over there." **_

Zabuza sighed, catching her attention once more. He looked back at her, about to reply when a sniveling, pompous voice cut through the air. "Well, he certainly made a mess out of you! What a pity…" _**"So he decided to finally show, huh?" **_Everyone turned to face the new arrivals. "Gato… what are you… doing here? And why did you bring all of… them?" Gato smirked, adjusting his sunglasses. Moriko hurried over to where Haku stood, quickly healing the boy with a touch of her hand. "Need a soldier pill?" He shook his head.

"Forgive me Kakashi… Our fight is over." The silver-haired man nodded in agreement. Moriko motioned for Haku to stay put, and walked over to Zabuza, healing him as well. "Gato… I'm sure you remember me." The man's grin faltered, and he swallowed. She gave a dark chuckle. "Hey, Zabuza." He glanced down at her. "I don't know about you, but I'm a little… thirsty. Why don't we take care of them, like old times?" He gave her a fearsome grin, gnawing through the bandages covering his mouth and nose. "Lets."

She chuckled, her head bowed down. Her chuckles grew and grew and she suddenly threw her head back, her laughter turning psychotic. Shivers ran up every man's spine, as they watched the blonde girl. Her laughter died down and she lowered her head. Her eyes had turned silver, her nails and teeth sharper than any kunai or needle. "Zabuza…. I want Gato." "…Take him then." The silver-grey aura swirled around her like a cloak of mist and she bared her teeth at the group in animalistic hunger.

Gato trembled. "T-that's enough! What are you waiting for? Kill all of them!" The men's cheer died out as the duo ran at them. Zabuza's chakra trailed behind him, resembling the face of a demon. Moriko gave a demented screech of delight as she flew into the crowd, tearing them apart with her fangs and claws. Zabuza, more refined in his approach, hacked them to bits with his sword. Kakashi watched, his jaw dropped open in shock. Naruto and the others stared, trembling at the young woman's bloodlust. A scream caught their attention, and they saw the blonde tackle him, piercing his throat with her fangs.

Everyone froze, staring in horror as she buried her fingers in his hair, draining him dry. Gato wheezed, pathetically attempting to escape her iron-like grip. Soon, the light in his eyes dulled and he went limp in her deadly embrace. She pulled her mouth from the gash on the corpse's throat and sighed, standing. She was soaked in blood. "Zabuza… I'm still hungry." Gato's men trembled, terrified. She slowly turned, revealing her blood-caked face and they whimpered in fear. She heard several gasps and turned to see the island's inhabitants staring at her and gato's corpse.

She turned her gaze back to the men, and grinned demonically. She whispered. "Run." And they screamed, running from the horrifying sight, and the village. All was silent. After a few moments, Haku walked over to her, handing her a cloth. She smiled, showing her blood-stained teeth before placing it on the edge of the bridge and diving into the water below.


	18. Sorrowful goodbyes andnew beginnings

Chapter eighteen: Sorrowful goodbyes and new beginnings

Moriko, after swimming around to wash the blood from her body, quickly climbed up the bridge to where the others were waiting. _**"Great. Now that they saw that little show of dementia, I wonder just how long it'll be before they try to gut me." **_Flying over the edge of the bridge, she landed by the towel she had dropped earlier. She bent over and picked it up, scrubbing at her face and hair with the small cloth. "Thanks Haku. I needed that." The boy chuckled softly, causing her to smile softly. Her eyes had gone back to their natural color, and her fangs and claws returned to normal.

"Moriko!" She turned her head to look at the pinkette, who yelled happily. "It's sasuke! He's ok!" The blonde smiled, shooting Sakura a thumbs up. "That's great!" The Haruno girl grinned back, as Sasuke stood up. Moriko turned her gaze from the duo by Tazuna, to Haku and Zabuza. Haku beamed happily, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. "I've missed you, Mo-chan!" The blonde smiled, returning the embrace. "I've missed you too, Haku-kun." Zabuza smirked, ruffling both her hair and Haku's hair. They shot him twin pouts, much the everyone's bemusement. One of the villagers cleared their throat, getting everyone's attention. "So, what are we doing now?"

Two weeks later, the bridge was finally completed, and they were saying their good-byes. "Zabuza, Haku. Are you sure you two want to stay here? I could talk to the hokage about making the both of you Konoha ninja." Zabuza chuckled, pulling her in for a one-armed hug. "Naw, I think Haku and I are ready to settle down. Besides, the villagers need someone of our skill here, to protect them from men like Gato and raiders." Moriko smiled, understanding his desire. She looked over to see Naruto, talking with Inari, Tazuna's grandson. "Inari… don't let it get you down. It's okay to cry, if you really want!"

Inari yelled. "I'm not gonna cry! B-but Naruto… Hey "Big brother"… Y-You can cry! Go ahead!" "me? No way. See you." As soon as Naruto turned around, the both of them began to silently blubber and sob. She pressed her hand against her lips to muffle her laughter. Naruto was just too adorable, he really was. She left Zabuza's hug and hurried to cuddle Haku close to her for a last time. "I'll be back to visit you again, I promise!" As they parted, she kissed the boy lightly on his forehead before hurrying off to the genin and jounin waiting for her.

As Kakashi wrapped his arm around her to hurry her along, he shot a glare at Zabuza, who returned the look. The two glared at one another, causing Moriko to sigh. _**"Geez, even after Gato's death, those two still act like enemies. What are they arguing about now?" **_"Uhhh…" The two men stopped their little glare-fest and kakashi smiled at her. "Shall we get going, _Moriko_?" She blushed lightly as her name rolled off his tongue. She nodded, smiling and waving at her old comrades before they began their journey home.

As Moriko walked by Kakashi's side, she noticed the three genin staring at her. "What?" Sakura spoke up, motioning to her face. "Aren't you going to put your mask back on?" Moriko froze in her tracks. She had completely forgotten about her mask, and her voice modulator. "O-oh… yeah." She reached into the pouch on her thigh and pulled them out, carefully putting them on. She didn't notice the small scowl that Kakashi shot at Sakura, and Sakura's smug smile. _**"Kakashi-sensei has a crush on Moriko! Kyaaa that's so cute!" **_Sakura giggled, getting confused looks from the group.

"What are you laughing at, Sakura?" Moriko asked, her modulator now disguising her voice. Sakura simply grinned in an impish way before grabbing her two male teammates and dragging them ahead. Moriko shook her head, chuckling at the pinkette's child-like actions. She missed the wink that sakura sent over her shoulder at Kakashi. Kakashi blushed, embarrassed. _**"She knows." **_Kakashi sighed, sensing the impeding headache he knew was about to come slamming into him. "Is something wrong, sensei?" He blushed, failing to repress the perverse thoughts that shot through his head.

"N-nothing's wrong. Just ready to get back home." Moriko smiled under her mask. "I understand. I feel the same way." Kakashi blushed darker. _**"Oh kami, this girl is going to be the death of me." **_Sakura, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, giggled quietly. She nudged Naruto, who turned to look at her with that awed look he always had when it came to her. "Pssst… Hey, Naruto. You wanna help me with a little… Project?"

He blushed. "W-w-what project?" She grinned. "Getting Kakashi and Moriko together, that's what!" Luckily, Kakashi and Moriko had been to wrapped up in their conversation, they hadn't noticed the three genin plotting on how to fix the two up. "Maybe we should just tell them to talk to each other about it." Sakura just stared at the blonde. "Don't be ridiculous, Naruto. That Never works…" She gasped. "Alright, who's Kakashi's rival? If we can get his rival to have a romantic interest in her, kakashi will have to admit he likes her and woo her!" The pinkette squealed happily, attracting everyone's attention.

Sakura blushed, embarrassed at her moment of fangirlism. Now, all she had to do was set the plan into motion.


	19. Chapter 19: Gaara and Sasuke, uh oh

Chapter nineteen: Gaara and Sasuke, uh oh…

Moriko sighed as she ran after Sakura, who was chasing Naruto and his fanclub. Could those two be civil for more than ten minutes? She turned a corner, gasping as Konohamaru was lifted into the air by his collar. The blonde woman beside him merely watched, deciding not to do anything. Moriko scowled, melting into the darkness as the man holding the child threatened him. Just as he was about to punch the kid, she appeared behind him. Before he could react, she had Konohamaru out of reach and had a dagger at his throat. All was still. "Do you really want to die over such a simple accident?" She asked, cocking her head to side.

The painted man scowled, attempting to smack her. She easily ducked his blow before grabbing the extended arm and propelling him into the air. He flew a few feet before landing on his back. He wheezed in pain, slowly attempting to push himself up. "You're dead, freak!" A small pebble flew out of nowhere, smacking the man right between the eyes. Moriko glanced up, only to see sasuke reclining on a branch, tossing another pebble in his hand. "Tell me, what are you doing in our village? The blonde woman blushed, staring openly at the uchiha. Moriko rolled her eyes. _**"Great, another Uchiha fangirl. Just what this village needs." **_The blonde woman merely sighed, lightly placing the child back on his feet.

Moriko tuned the conversation out, choosing to keep an eye on the three trembling children. She didn't trust the painted man or the blonde bitch. Her gut was telling her that they were planning something… dangerous. "Kankuro… You disgrace our village." _**"Ah, so that's what paint-boy's name is." **_She glanced up to see a pale red-head with teal eyes and the kanji symbol for love scarred on his forehead. His eyes caught her attention. _**"There's so much pain in his eyes… they remind me of me." **_Her gaze softened and she felt the strange urge to pull the child into a tight hug, but she refrained. "S-sorry Gaara, it won't happen again."

She watched the scene unfold with interest, one hand casually resting on the pouch on her thigh. Suddenly, those sharp teal eyes landed on her. _**"Jeez, this kid glares like a basilisk." **_"What's your name?" She lightly smirked under her mask. "I'm the Red Death, but you can call me Red… for now." Kankuro grew pale, but still managed to smirk at her. "So you're the assassin we've heard so much about. You don't seem like much."

She couldn't help but laugh. "A sunagakeru ninja who picks on kids… certainly unimpressive, if you ask me. So tell me, just how many people have you killed?" He clenched his teeth, glaring at her. Moriko merely returned the stare with disinterest before returning her gaze to the red-head. _**"Has he been staring at me this entire time?" **_As if hearing her thoughts, he looked at the uchiha, as if contemplating something. Moriko blinked, noticing small tendrils of sand writhing on the ground by Gaara's feet. _**"So this must be the jinchuriki for Shukaku. Looks like the seal is breaking, poor kid." **_She could feel Shukaku's power moving restlessly within the child, as if begging for escape. "…. So what are you doing in Konoha?"

The blonde rummaged around in her bag before pulling out three passports. "We're here for the chuunin exams."


	20. Chapter 20: stranger than strange

Hey there everyone. I was messing around on my laptop and found something called "WordPad". If this works like i'm hoping, I'll be able to continue my stories without having to buy microsoft word. Here's the next chapter of 'the red death'

chapter twenty: stranger than strange Moriko could feel that strange gaze focused on her as she walked through the village. Geez. That kid has been following me for the last three hours! What does he find so damn interesting? . She leapt onto a nearby building, sprinting to gain some distance from those seafoam eyes. sure enough, he gave chase. Smirking, she leapt from the roof into an alley, disappearing in a blizzard of pure white feathers before her feet hit the ground.  
She reappeared on the other side of town, several blocks away from the suna ninja. That kid just won t give up! why is he following me? She ducked into her favorite dango shop, suddenly ravenous. The owner smiled as she walked up to the counter. Hey Red! You want the usual? She laughed. yup! dango with green tea. The man nodded and scuttled off to start her order. As moriko dug into her pocket to get the money, she felt gaara s presence appear outside.  
Hey. She sighed, turning to look into cold black eyes. Hey uchiha. He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching as she payed for her food. Moriko murmured a polite thank you and gathered the bag, ducking out of the restaurant with sasuke at her side. So... why is subaku following you? She shrugged as they turned a corner. Dunno. He s been stalking me for the last three hours. Doesn't it bug you? A bit. The two sat on a nearby bench. As they chatted, she could feel the jinchuuriki s gaze grow more ad more acidic. However, the gaze wasn't on her...  
She bit into a piece of dango, chewing thoughtfully. so, how has training been? Sasuke shrugged, his irritation obvious. Kakashi-sensei has been trying to teach me this new jutsu... The blonde smiled. Having issues? He huffed, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. Try meditating before training. Too much stress tends to make learning new techniques and jutsus more troublesome. She didn t think to ask him about the jutsu, so the red-haired tag-along wouldn t have something to one-up the raven. He peered thoughtfully at her before nodding. Makes sense. Oy, sasuke. The two turned to look at kakashi, who was striding towards the both of them. Evening kakashi. The silver-haired sensei smiled, waving at the blonde. He opened his mouth to speak, but a certain leotard-clad taijutsu expert flew from the trees, tackling kakashi. Kakashi my dear rival! I just want to say that i m proud of you for finally finding your youth, as well as your beloved! Kakashi s eye twitched slightly. Gai, what are you blathering on about now? Gai s reply was interrupted by kurenai covering his mouth as she nervously laughed. O-oh. Gai s just being... Gai. Come along now, your students need you. As she dragged Gai away from kakashi, she pulled sasuke off of the bench. before anyone could react, the three disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving kakashi and moriko alone. Moriko felt her face flush beneath her mask. Kakashi gave a nervous chuckle, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. I wonder what got into the both of them? 


	21. crazy thoughts and runaway hearts

Chapter twenty-one

Crazy thoughts and runaway hearts

"So what you're saying is, I can't participate in the chunnin exams?" The three genin began to protest loudly, as Sarutobi nodded in confirmation. "I'm afraid so, Moriko. You're skills are far too powerful against a few genin. You could kill someone, if you weren't careful." Naruto pouted, continuing to plead fruitlessly. Saurtobi sighed. "If I allow her to compete with you, your team would have an unfair advantage. That, and it is against the would need two teammates and a sensei, if she could compete." The blonde nodded. "That makes sense. Besides, I would much rather spend my time helping these three train." The hokage smiled, pleased by the young woman's reaction to the news.

"Unfortunately, I will have to remove you from Kakashi's cell and move you from team to team, so they can sharpen their skills. However," He quickly interrupted Naruto's loud protests. "I will allow for you to stay with them until the end of the chunnin exams." Moriko gave a soft sigh of relief, the slight tension easing from her shoulders. "Well, that's great news! I was wanting to teach these three a few of my... techniques." The three genin in question shuddered, fearful of the devious aura that permeated the air around the masked woman. As Moriko plotted in her small corner of doom, Naruto and his team begged for their hokage to change his decision.

Sarutobi merely smiled, and after another twenty minutes passed, began to shove them out outof the office. He grinned at the startled genin before closing the door behind them. The click of the door snapped Moriko out of her thoughts and she looked up, quickly grabbing naruto by his wrist. "Let's get going." The three teenagers and their sensei merely stared at the woman before quickly following her. Kakashi chuckled at the strange woman, his gaze focused on the hypnotic swing of her hips._** "I wonder just what she has planned for these three."**_

When moriko went to grab the handle of the door, it shot open and a blur of dark green slammed into her. Moriko, unable to catch her balance, fell to the ground, accidently crushing the device around her neck. It shattered at the impact, a large piece of metal slicing into the delicate flesh of her throat. Within seconds, kakashi was at her side. He noticed the wound and gently grasped her chin, tilting her head to the side so he could exam the wound. He unclipped the now useless device and tossed it over his shoulder. Pulling a roll of gauze out of his thigh-pouch, he quickly he quickly took care of the scratch.

Moriko blushed at the feeling of kakashi's warm, calloused fingers gently prodding at her throat, careful not to hurt her or make the wound worse. the feeling was... pleasant. When he finished taking care of her injury, he wrapped his arm around her thin waist, pulling her to her feet. She looked up to see a distraught Gai, who was crying 'manly' tears. "R-red! I'm so sorry!" Yanking her out of kakashi's arms, he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Sakura grinned, delighted at the scene unfolding before her. She discreetly glanced over to see her sensei glaring at the bushy-browed man, gnashing his teeth together. _**"This is great! He's so jealous! This couldn't have been better if I had planned it myself!"**_

****Kakashi, seeing the blonde struggling to escape Gai's grip, came to her rescue. He placed his hand on Gai's shoulder. "Gai..." Upon seeing his 'rivals' aggravation, he immediately released the poor woman and grinned. "Kakashi, my dear rival!" it's been ages since our last competition! We must compete! How about a competition of wits, or of resistance?" Sakura's grinned impishly, a hideous idea coming to mind. "How about a competition of strength? Winner gets to go on a date with Red... without her wearing her mask?" The blonde stiffened, opening her mouth to object. "That's a youthful idea! What say you kakashi?"


	22. Chapter 22: poor Iruka

Sorry about the last two chapters. for some reason wordpad screwed them up and I can't seem to fix them for some reason. I just noticed that there was a copy and paste option when you upload a chapter, so i'll be sticking with that.

Chapter twenty-two: Poor Iruka

Moriko glared at Sakura through her mask, but the pinkette seemed impervious to the blonde's dirty looks. "Oh, and kakashi-sensei. If you don't accept this challenge, Gai automatically wins." Kakashi stared at his student in surprise. Just when exactly had she changed from another whining fangirl to this devious little monster?

He then glanced at Moriko, who seemed more than irritated with the pinkette. Sensing his gaze, she glanced up and looked him in the eye. There was no way in hell she was going to go on a date with gai... especially without wearing her mask. He sighed, giving the pinkette a dirty look of his own. "I suppose I don't have a choice, do I?" Sakura grinned impishly and Moriko seemed to finally relax for the first time during the whole conversation. The deviant little girl giggled, practically skipping over to where Gai was. "Alright, let's do this battle by the academy, so Iruka-sensei can judge the challenge!"

She then flew out of the door, cackling evilly as she practically sprinted towards the academy. Gai shouted happily, following the pinkette as he shouted on about her admirable youth. The remaining four stared after them, wondering what the pink-haired girl had in mind. Naruto and sasuke glanced at each other before sighing and chased after them, leaving Moriko and Kakashi alone.

"Thank you." Kakashi glanced over at the embarrassed blonde, smiling slightly. "For what? I'm sure you didn't exactly plan for her to do this." She shook her head and with a sigh, intertwined one of his hands with one of hers. She blushed, looking away from his surprised look. "W-we should probably get over there and do damage control. Iruka probably has no idea what's going on." Kakashi's smile widened and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before leading her to the academy grounds.

Iruka stared as sakura and naruto argued while gai was crying his 'manly' tears of youth. "Um... what's going on?" He glanced up to see Moriko and Kakashi heading over, and slowly grinned when he saw their intertwined hands. He knew about her crush on the silver-haired pervert, and had encouraged her to tell him. However, the blonde girl grew bashful and merely shook her head while blushing. He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head before interrupting.

"Sakura wants you to judge a competition between Gai and kakashi. She seemed to think it was a good idea to have me go on a date with the winner... without my mask." She scowled unhappily, glaring at the pinkette once again. Iruka stared at the pinkette in surprise, and then smirked, immediately understanding her plot. "Alright. What's the competition?" Sakura grinned deviously. "The competition is of strength, obviously, so I thought that it should be about stamina; no genjutsu, no ninjutsu; only taijutsu."

Moriko frowned, calculating the odds in her head. Gai was a taijutsu master, and Kakashi was the master of a thousand jutsus. They always had these little competitions, and usually Kakashi won them. Honestly, it could end either way. Iruka nodded, seeming satisfied with the fangirl's choice. "Alright, where are we meeting?" "The lake by the training grounds. After the competition, I want to relax, so bring your swimming outfits!" Moriko went pale, dread coiling in her stomach. "Oh, and Red... you can't wear your mask." Moriko glared at the pinkette, pissed. "And just why not?" "Well..." Iruka quickly interrupted. "Honestly, we just want to see your face again. We only ever see you in that mask, and we want you to trust us enough to show us your face."

The blonde frowned, guilt beginning to pool in her stomach. She gave a soft sigh, then nodded. "Alright, but Sakura, you're buying me dango for this."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter twenty- three: The competition

Moriko sighed as a familiar purple-haired kunoichi tossed her bikini after bikini to try on. "Anko, this is the eighteenth pair you had me try on! Isn't there something that doesn't look like floss tied together?" Anko pouted before grabbing a rather cute one off of the rack. "Here try this." She tossed it over the dressing room door and Moriko grinned. _**"I actually kind of like this one."**_Pulling the suit on, she took a look in the mirror. Her grin slowly began to fade as she turned slightly and ran her finger down one of the many scars littering the flesh of her back. Even now, you could still see the burn from that night in the alley. She shuddered before opening the door and Anko grinned. "I like it."

Moriko grinned. "So do I. Finally, this shopping trip is over." Anko laughed as Moriko payed for the item and pulled her clothes on over the bikini. "Thanks Anko. I should head out now, I only have ten minutes to get to the training field." Hurrying out of the store, she waved to the purple-haired woman before turning the corner. "Red!" Moriko turned, glancing back to see Kakashi jogging towards her. "Hey Kakashi." He grinned as he stopped beside her, discreetly running his eyes up her body to meet hers.

"Hey, wanna head to the training grounds together?" Moriko's smile was hidden behind her mask. The blonde nodded and kakashi's grin widened slightly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tossed her onto his shoulder, causing her to yelp in surprise. Within seconds, the duo were surrounded by leaves and disappeared from sight.

They reappeared at the training grounds, where Gai, Iruka, and the rest of team seven were waiting. Sakura, noticing the two, grinned as she noticed how gently her sensei put the blonde down, and how he had his arm wrapped around her waist as they approached._** "Looks like kakashi-sensei is marking his territory. Teehee!"**_ Iruka, hiding his own smile, immediately began listing off the rules for the competition.

"Right, we all know this fight is purely taijutsu. use of anything other than taijutsu will automatically forfeit the user. No summons will be allowed in this fight, no weapons, no scrolls, nothing but your fists and feet. Kakashi, you will not be allowed to use your sharingan. Gai, no opening the seven seals." At that, Iruka gave both men a stern look before turning to Moriko. "Red, your mask." The blonde fidgeted nervously before sighing in defeat and reached back to untie her 'security blanket'. Thrusting it into the teacher's hands, she stared at the forest floor, her face flushed from her nerves.

After a few moments, she gathered her wits and looked up to see Gai stare. She tried her hardest to keep from squirming before Gai lifted a hand to give her a thumbs up. "Such youthful beauty!" Once the attention was off of her, she gave a sigh of relief and went to stand by naruto. When the jinchurikki looked up and gave her a bright grin, she smiled and affectionately ruffled his blonde locks. "Ready... go!"

The two now shirtless men ran at each other, fists raised. Moriko blushed, her eyes taking in the sight of a shirtless kakashi. "Psssttt... Mo-chan." She glanced over to see Naruto grin at her. "Your nose is bleeding." _**"Shit!"**_She raised two fingers to press at the flesh above her lips, and pulled them away to see that the blonde was right. Moriko stripped out of her tank and pressed it against her nose, trying to make her body stop its traitorous actions. Hearing Naruto cheer, she assumed that kakashi had gotten a hit in and hurried to where sakura was. "Sakura. do you have any tissues?" The pinkette looked up and grinned, handing her the tissues. "Moriko, you pervert."

The blonde blushed and quietly thanked the girl before disappearing behind a tree. She dipped a Kleenex into the water to wash off the blood and sighed as she noticed the blood stop gushing from her nose. However, her shirt was now ruined. Groaning in annoyance, she went to the training ground and tossed it into a nearby waste basket before returning to the group. Naruto grinned, running up to the blonde as she reappeared. "Mo-chan, you missed it! Kakashi won!" Moriko repressed the relieved sigh that threatened to escape and smiled. "Alright, so I have a date with kakashi, huh? So..." She turned to face the silver haired man. "When do you want to do this?"


	24. Chapter 24: sakura's training

Chapter twenty- four: Sakura's training

Moriko sighed as she waited for the pinkette to appear. Their training had been scheduled for today, and the girl was twenty minutes late. It had been three days since the competition, and the events that happened afterword. While they had been swimming, Naruto had accidently ran into the blonde woman and shoved her into kakashi. Much to her mortification, they accidently kissed. The blonde blushed as the memory of how his mask-clad lips felt against her own filled her mind. It had been so awkward afterwards, and he couldn't even look her in the eye as she stuttered out an apology.

Since that event, he had done his best to avoid her, and ignored her whenever she attempted to talk to him. Moriko sighed. "Maybe I should've stayed with Zabuza and Haku..." "riko... MORIKO!" The blonde flinched before turning to look at the pinkette. "What?" "Aren't we going to train?" Moriko nodded, shoving kakashi out of her mind and stood up, staring the pinkette down. "Do you know what your element is?" "Water." moriko nodded. "Water is mainly a healing element, but it can be used for battle purposes. It's not my element, but I do know a few water-based jutsus. Alright, now, I need you to gather your chakra into the tips of your fingers..."

Sakura panted, physically exhausted as the fourth hour of training rolled by. "Again." Groaning, the pinkette once more gathered her chakra, and struck. The water from nearby pants danced around her fingers before wrapping around a tree, tearing it from the ground and crushing it to dust. Moriko grinned, delighted at the fact that she caught on so quickly. "The water whip can also be used to create different attacks, whether it's crushing your enemies, or severely damaging their bones and muscles. Instead of crushing them, you could throw them into the air, and then slam them into the ground, etc. you get the idea." The pinkette nodded. "However, only crush them if you or your precious person's lives are at risk. don't forget that."

Sakura watched the blonde as she pulled a scroll out of the bag attached to her thigh. "Now, i'm going to teach you one more jutsu, since you caught on quite quickly to the water whip jutsu." Sakura beamed at the rare praise from the masked kunoichi. It wasn't everyday you got complimented by the red death, and she was just eating the attention up. Moriko handed the happy pinkette the scroll and she quickly unwrapped it to read the contents. "The... dance of the crescent moon?" Sakura looked up at the blonde, confused. "This is..." "A family jutsu. This was passed down from generation to generation. If you are willing, I would like to teach it to you." Sakura, shocked by moriko's statement, nodded, and moriko grinned beneath her mask.

"Excellent. now, the dance of the crescent moon is a rather volatile move. However, if executed properly, the damages it could create could be catastrophic, like the water whip. Now, watch me, and try to memorize as much as you can." Moriko walked a few feet away, standing in front of a nearby tree. Focusing the chakra to the tips of her toes, and the tips of her finger, she twirled. "Water style, dance of the crescent moon." As she twirled, kicking her leg up high and bending and twisting, the chakra she had stored quickly sliced through the air, collecting water as it cut into the tree. She quickly brought her leg down, and acted as though she was going to hug herself.

In the base of the tree, was a crescent moon. you could clearly see through the trunk, to the lush forest behind, and sakura gaped at the idea of how much damage that move could cause to a human. "W-wow." Moriko turned, her hands on her hips. "Impressive, isn't it?" Now, this move is NOT TO BE USED in the chunnin exam. understood?" Sakura quickly nodded. "I understand." Moriko grinned before tossing the pinkette a soldier pill. "Alright, study the scroll while we take a small break, then it's back to training." Sakura grinned as she swallowed the pill, nodding before she turned her attention back to the scroll. Moriko smiled softly as she watched the pinkette diligently study. "Heh, it's kind of nice being a teacher. Now I understand why Ruka-kun enjoys it so much."

Sakura stood, startling Moriko out of her thoughts, and turned to the blonde with a determined look on her face. "Alright, let's get started."


	25. Chapter 25: Confronting Gaara

Chapter twenty-five: Confronting Gaara

Moriko sighed as she felt Gaara's prescence behind her. What was it with this kid? It seemed like every time she went grocery shopping, or out to train, he was right there behind her. "Alright, that's it. Time to see what this kid wants." Moriko turned into the forest by the training grounds, and hid. Sure enough, he appeared, searching for the blonde. The mask-clad woman crept up behind him, making sure to keep her distance. "Why are you following me?"

He went stiff, surprised at the fact she was able to sneak up on him. He slowly turned around, sea-foam eyes clashing with blue-grey. "..." Moriko sighed, resting her right hand on her hip. "I know you're capable of answering a simple question, Gaara. Now tell me, why are you following me?" He merely stared at her, before murmering. "You're a woman." Moriko groaned. "This again? I wasn't exactly hiding my gender to begin with. Yes, I am a woman." He continued staring at her, and moriko returned the gaze, arching an eyebrow under her mask.

To moriko's surprise, he disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving her alone. "Huh... guess i'm not going to get that answer then." Then, she noticed something. The sand left behind swirled up to her, solidifying into a sort of pedestal. she blinked, staring as something began to push its way to the surface. "A... desert rose?" Moriko's eyes searched the flower, and she couldn't help the small smile pushing at her lips. It certainly was a beautiful flower. the edges of the petals were a bright shade of pink, slowly fading inward to a soft shade of white. She hesitantly reached out, before lightly taking the flower from its makeshift home.

The sand disintegrated, floating away on the warm breeze and moriko watched as the last few grains disappeared before returning her attention to the flower. She unclipped her mask, taking it off to smell the sweet scent of the desert rose. smiling softly, she quickly put her mask back on and turned, returning to the hustle and bustle of the village, not noticing the seafoam eyes watching her from the sky.

_Sorry that this was so short everyone. but hopefully this chapter was enjoyable. -bows repetitively- the next chapter shall be up soon. happy reading!_


	26. Chapter 26: training sasuke

chapter twenty-six: Training Sasuke

"I don't need your training." Moriko sighed, adjusting her mask slightly before pinching the bridge of her nose. **_"God, I can already feel a headache coming on." _**"Nobody said that you had to, uchiha. If learning a technique or two from me is really that horrifying, fine! I have other things I could be doing." She barely made it two steps before he was standing in her way, arms folded across his chest. Moriko growled, raising her voice. "Make up your damned mind already! Do you want to learn, or not? I have better things to do than standing here, arguing with you." Moriko, fed up, was about to disappear in a whirlwind of feathers before sasuke spoke.

"Where did you get that?" She blinked, glancing down to where he was pointing. "The flower? It was a gift." "From kakashi, right?" Moriko gave a derisive snort. "Please, he's been avoiding me since that accidental kiss at that competition. why would he give me a rose?" Sasuke sighed. "Then who gave it to you?" "Gaara." Sasuke stared, his jaw slack. "W-what?" "Yeah, Gaara gave it to me. I confronted him earlier, trying to figure out why he was following me. He sounded rather surprised at the fact I was a woman, then disappeared. The sand that was still there pretty much flew at me, formed into a pedestal, and gave me the flower."

He stared at her, slowly processing the information. "So... gaara gave you that flower... not kakashi." "Yup." He went silent. **_"So it seems like kakashi and I aren't the only ones interested in Moriko..." _**"Oi, uchiha." He looked up, staring into irritated pools of blue-grey. "are you going to train, or not?" He sighed before nodding. "Alright, as far as I can tell, your types are fire and lightening. This will be easier, since one of my elements is lightening as well." Moriko dug into her satchel, pulling out a weather-worn scroll. "This jutsu was created by my great-great grandfather; Akio kijjimoto. This jutsu is... catastrophic. I only want you to use this if your life is endangered. alright?"

Sasuke nodded, and the blonde woman tossed him the scroll. "Lightening style: dragon's scream?" "Watch." Moriko turned, facing a familiar tree with a lunar-shaped mark. "Focus your chakra into your throat. You can only do this twice in one week, so use this as a last resort." She took a deep breath, feeling the familiar warmth of her chakra resonating in her voice box. "Lightening style: Dragon's scream." she parted her mouth and screamed. Her chakra spilled forth and lightening rushed forward, shaping into the form of a fearsome dragon. It collided with the tree, and the base exploded, debris flying everywhere.

Sasuke stared, his shock clear on his face. "woah..." The lightening dragon sparked, fizzing away into nothing. His attention turned to the blonde as she coughed, falling to her knees. His eyes widened. "Augh... it's been awhile since I've had to use that." She coughed once more before standing. "Don't worry, as long as you don't try to use it more than you're supposed to, you'll be fine." Pulling a canteen from her satchel, she took a quick swig to moisten her throat before shoving it into his hands. "Trust me, you'll want to keep this with you while you practice. Now. read the scroll and then you can attempt it."

Sasuke turned his attention to the scroll. **_"Could this...could this be what I need to kill him?" _**


End file.
